bungle

verb

bun·​gle ˈbəŋ-gəl 

bungled; bungling ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to act or work clumsily and awkwardly

bungled badly in the campaign

transitive verb

: mishandle, botch

bungle a job

bungled the investigation

bungle noun

bungler

ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

• blow
• bobble
• boggle
• bollix (up)
• boot
• botch
• bugger (up)
• bumble
• butcher
• dub
• flub
• fluff
• foozle
• foul up
• fumble
• goof (up)
• louse up
• mangle
• mess (up)
• muck up
• muff
• murder
• screw up

Examples of bungle in a Sentence

The government bungled badly in planning the campaign.

bungled the job the first time she tried to do it

Recent Examples on the Web

Becka then bungles the mission when Angelica catches her sprinting out of the bathroom in her comically large hoodie that somehow still can’t hide her distinctive face. —Caroline Framke, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024

Warren has bungled his only critical job — getting a new stadium. —Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2024

If any of that is true, this whole thing is a house of cards, and the Dolphins badly bungled the quarterback position. —Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2024

Boeing bungled its recent mission to ferry astronauts to the ISS so badly that SpaceX has at least a temporary monopoly over astronaut launches from American soil. —Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic banga to hammer

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

bungle

verb

bun·​gle ˈbəŋ-gəl 

bungled; bungling -g(ə-)liŋ 

: to act, do, make, or work badly

bungle a job

bungle noun

bungler

-g(ə-)ler 

noun