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
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
But Denver bungled five — five — chances to extend their lead to two scores in the second half after taking resounding control of the game in the second half.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungled
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
But Denver bungled five — five — chances to extend their lead to two scores in the second half after taking resounding control of the game in the second half.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungled
Verb
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When Kahn fumbled Rivaldo’s shot from the edge of the box, Ronaldo was on hand to convert the rebound.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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In turn, the Heat fumbled it away.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The search for a permanent inspector general began after the city botched the process last year.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Several cool props gestured to historical infrastructural neglect and botched Hurricane Maria recovery efforts.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Duke blew a 15-point lead in the second half of that one and allowed the last nine points.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Simu Liu is attached in the lead role of Brad Katsuyama, who blew the whistle on high-tech corruption in the financial industry, with Anthony Bregman set to produce.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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