as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
bungled the job the first time she tried to do it
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Recent Examples of bungled
With an 11-0 start for the first time since the 1990s, the Aggies bungled the last two games of the season losing to Texas in Rivalry Week and Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.
—
Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
The last time the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement resulted in the 2012 debacle with replacement referees, where multiple late-game decisions were bungled due to the inexperience of the substitutes.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The Chiefs bungled it in more ways than one, more than that fourth-down call, even if the most glaring is the decision to settle for three.
—Sam McDowell 4, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
One day, calling kids up to get pizza for a class lunch, the teacher repeatedly and purposely bungled her name.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
The last time the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement resulted in the 2012 debacle with replacement referees, where multiple late-game decisions were bungled due to the inexperience of the substitutes.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The Chiefs bungled it in more ways than one, more than that fourth-down call, even if the most glaring is the decision to settle for three.
—Sam McDowell 4, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
One day, calling kids up to get pizza for a class lunch, the teacher repeatedly and purposely bungled her name.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungled
Verb
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And the counseling office fumbled it.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Cornell fumbled with Mercader’s clothing, trying to find them.—
Josh Ireland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And botched by the officials, said Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
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The Yankees trailed the Blue Jays 2-1 in the seventh inning, when what should have been an inning-ending double-play groundball was hit to Chisholm, who botched it.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Big East acknowledged after the game the officials blew the calls.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Anything before not worth thinking about since this was the performance that stuck with me, the one that blew me away and turned me into a jazz fiend.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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