as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over
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Recent Examples of mangling
Where was Michael Hill, the commissioner’s office executive serving as Team USA’s general manager, while his manager was mangling the stakes of the situation?
—
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
When Jets safety Malachi Moore went to tackle Hill, the wideout’s leg got caught underneath him, mangling the appendage in the process.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
When Jets safety Malachi Moore went to tackle Hill, the wideout’s leg got caught underneath him, mangling the appendage in the process.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangling
Verb
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One is how the administration is kind of fumbling around.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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This alone can shave valuable minutes off your screening and help you to breeze through the scanner instead of fumbling at the bins.—
Kayla Kitts,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Younger audiences, already accustomed to subtitles and dubbing through the global rise of K-pop, anime and other international media, proved especially receptive.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Mar. 2026
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Critics claim Bock successfully shut down early scrutiny by dubbing it as racially motivated.—
Jonah Kaplan,
CBS News,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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At first, the recruits wonder if this is all part of the big test, though when the machine starts butchering them, the sole survivors realise that something else is up.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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For nearly half a century, Iran has been a thorn in the side of the United States, killing and maiming American soldiers, butchering Israeli citizens, threatening its neighbors and fostering terror around the globe.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The courts once again found that Holland failed to disclose evidence during his 2011 prosecution and conviction of Brown, one of five prisoners convicted of murdering a guard at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.—
Richard A. Webster,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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Salahuddin was wanted by the CIA for allegedly murdering an Iranian diplomat in Maryland in 1980, and Levinson hoped the mission to deliver him to the agency would secure him full-time employment with the CIA, the source told Fox News at the time.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, months later, residents say the gunfire has shattered their peace, ruining quiet strolls and sunsets on the neighborhood’s lakes.—
Christopher Spata,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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Causing economic destruction with ridiculous lockdowns, ruining lives and livelihoods…that wasn't enough?—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangling. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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