as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the first time we tried to make a cake, we botched the job completely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 botching
In a federal lawsuit filed this month seeking millions in damages, Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, accused Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi of intentionally botching the translation of the lyrics, central to both the Disney films and the musical theater adaptations.
—
Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … RINSE AND REPEAT — CNN slammed for third time for botching NYC terrorist attack coverage.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Atlanta still entered halftime with a comfortable 60-46 lead, however, after Boston squandered a chance to draw closer by botching the final possession of the half.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
How improbable was Romeo Doubs botching an onside kick?
—Dan Pompei, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The episode ends with Hegseth botching the Peter Thiel extraction and ending up in jail himself right alongside Thiel.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
But Team Blue ultimately squanders their lead, completely botching the puzzle as the other two tribes smoke theirs.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
Even as his team keeps messing up, botching substitutions and committing untimely errors, Mike McDaniel generally keeps his calm.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … RINSE AND REPEAT — CNN slammed for third time for botching NYC terrorist attack coverage.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Or rather, none of it happens without the Rockies botching the Arenado thing so badly that CEO Dick Monfort and the family felt obligated to take this massive swing to try and replace him.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Atlanta still entered halftime with a comfortable 60-46 lead, however, after Boston squandered a chance to draw closer by botching the final possession of the half.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
How improbable was Romeo Doubs botching an onside kick?
—Dan Pompei, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The episode ends with Hegseth botching the Peter Thiel extraction and ending up in jail himself right alongside Thiel.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
But Team Blue ultimately squanders their lead, completely botching the puzzle as the other two tribes smoke theirs.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
Even as his team keeps messing up, botching substitutions and committing untimely errors, Mike McDaniel generally keeps his calm.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botching
Verb
-
Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Field of 68 pointed out that each of Duke's last four NCAA Tournament losses came by blowing a double-digit lead.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
-
To figure out its mechanism, Julius’s team had to somehow extract it from cells without ruining the very properties the researchers were trying to understand.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Botching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botching. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
