as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
bungled the job the first time she tried to do it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
I refuse to let that bungling incompetent insult me again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
bungled the job the first time she tried to do it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bungle
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Anyone who watched Anderson and president Michael Crow bungle their way through a multi-year football crisis and show little regard for diehard fans was understandably skeptical of Crow’s decision to hire from within.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Further investigation showed that the department bungled follow-up care too, failing to investigate the sources of lead exposure for some children.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
The ensuing play again defensively broke down for the Giants when Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman bungled the ground ball off Dansby Swanson’s bat as Crow-Armstrong’s presence at third and deke home coincided with the mishandle.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Verb
Read's defense claims he was left to die by local cops, who then purposely bungled the investigation as part of a cover up.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Anyone who watched Anderson and president Michael Crow bungle their way through a multi-year football crisis and show little regard for diehard fans was understandably skeptical of Crow’s decision to hire from within.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Further investigation showed that the department bungled follow-up care too, failing to investigate the sources of lead exposure for some children.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
The ensuing play again defensively broke down for the Giants when Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman bungled the ground ball off Dansby Swanson’s bat as Crow-Armstrong’s presence at third and deke home coincided with the mishandle.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungle
Noun
-
Those communication botches, whether on the break or in the half court, often include Towns, who once again vanished as a scorer.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
-
Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Herbert includes a range of moments, from earnest attempts to talk about the enslaved people that maintained all these palatial homes to clumsier ones in which they are referred to as workers, insinuating that their labor was paid for instead of forced.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
-
The aftermath of Virginia’s clumsy tumble into a rose bed where her exposed cleavage is profusely pricked by thorns lasts for all of one scene.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
One time as a junior, Turk tackled the running back and the quarterback and forced a fumble in the same play.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
23 June 2025
-
Arrington is a two-way player at Mount Miguel, catching 31 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns last season while registering 26 tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble as a cornerback.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Regional flashpoints have now put China in an awkward position.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
At times awkward, but mostly gorgeous, catchy and sincere.—
Darian Sahanaja,
Variety,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
During the Monday, June 16, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the actress and producer, 61, appeared in a black Stella McCartney suit covered with 3D metallic bobbles.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
17 June 2025
-
But on one rep Monday with Allen under center, the exchange yielded a bobble and a fumble that hit the ground, which had coaches whistle the play dead immediately.—
Joe Buscaglia,
The Athletic,
29 July 2024
Adjective
-
After a botched rep of a five-on-five drill the team was running, star guard Marina Mabrey pulled the starting group into a huddle.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2025
-
When a crack appears, in the form of a recession, a botched show of force, or an élite split, the ruling order must reform, bargain, or collapse.—
Evan Osnos,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
So, what’s the difference between being awkward and being inept?—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
-
The new and inept Federal Reserve crushed credit availability.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
-
Pop culture has abetted this disheartening pattern, consistently depicting fathers as incompetent ...—
Gregory M. Collins,
National Review,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share