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
Isak’s actions were disrespectfully militant, but Newcastle damagingly bungled the situation.
—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
But both episodes will go down in state history as poorly handled, bungled beyond all understanding, the two shoves on our back that sent us spiraling out of control.
—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Andrew Cunanan, and Beanie Feldstein’s wide-eyed Monica Lewinsky, a performance that might have achieved icon status had Disney not bungled the FX on Hulu rollout.
—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
But both episodes will go down in state history as poorly handled, bungled beyond all understanding, the two shoves on our back that sent us spiraling out of control.
—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Andrew Cunanan, and Beanie Feldstein’s wide-eyed Monica Lewinsky, a performance that might have achieved icon status had Disney not bungled the FX on Hulu rollout.
—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungled
Verb
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
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After South Korea’s goalkeeper fumbled a ball, Luis Romo scored the goal that gave the Mexicans six points and pushed them to the top of the standings.
Verb
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The Boston southpaw didn’t permit a baserunner until Spencer Jones, who botched a ball in center field a half-inning later, singled in the sixth inning.
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Pulisic nearly scored again in the 63rd minute, but his quick shot off a nice pass from Berhalter was knocked off the goalpost by Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, and Brenden Aaronson botched the resulting sitter.
Verb
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Messi somehow blew a penalty kick in the eighth minute, when teammate Lautaro Martinez was brought down by Austrian defender Stefan Posch.
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Several hours before the whistle blew on the pitch, Norwegian fans flocked to Times Square in the heart of New York City to give their squad a proper sendoff.
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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