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
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Recent Examples of bungle
ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Apollo’s acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo’s online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer.
—Michael Liedtke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
In addition to Robinhood’s Platinum card, there is Citi’s $695-per-year Strata Elite, whose debut last year was marred by an application-process bungle that saw the bank freeze thousands of accounts—but which has proved popular nonetheless.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Verb
Apollo's acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo's online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Apollo’s acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo’s online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer.
—Michael Liedtke, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
With suspiciously fortuitous timing, Andy is snapped up as Runway’s new features editor—a move that Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the Si Newhouse-esque head of Elias-Clarke, hopes will salvage what remains of the publication’s credibility in the wake of Miranda’s bungle.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
In addition to Robinhood’s Platinum card, there is Citi’s $695-per-year Strata Elite, whose debut last year was marred by an application-process bungle that saw the bank freeze thousands of accounts—but which has proved popular nonetheless.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungle
Verb
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After South Korea’s goalkeeper fumbled a ball, Luis Romo scored the goal that gave the Mexicans six points and pushed them to the top of the standings.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
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OnlyFans fumbled a previous version of this dilemma.—
Gustavo Turner,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Of course this was a calculated power play, not a bureaucratic botch.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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During last week's WWE SmackDown, a series of mistakes and botches drew harsh criticism from fans.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Corlys and Lohar find each other in the scrum and both land powerful blows before Corlys is thrown into the sea, leaving Alyn of Hull to finish off his father’s enemy.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
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Messi somehow blew a penalty kick in the eighth minute, when teammate Lautaro Martinez was brought down by Austrian defender Stefan Posch.—
Filip Bondy,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2026
Noun
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Ordinary humans like Stephen’s selfish boss are depicted as giant walking eggs, while others are proportioned like bobble heads.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2026
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The Kings, who had a 5-3 advantage in shots in the first, got the first excellent chance of the game when dangerous goal scorer Adrian Kempe took advantage of a bobble at the LA blue line.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Don't Worry Too Much About Saltwater Or Chlorine Many people assume a quick swim in the ocean or pool will ruin their sunglasses.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
20 June 2026
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Could the Boston Celtics or another team ruin the Heat’s plan, swooping in and trading for Antetokounmpo this offseason and getting a long-term commitment from him?—
Anthony Chiang
June 19,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2026
Verb
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In particular, a short tunnel section dubbed PrK, which connects the Russian Zvezda module to the station’s aft docking port, has been leaking air on and off since at least 2019, alarming officials.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
18 June 2026
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In an all-day meeting, members of the FDA’s advisory committee—known as VRBPAC for Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee—pored over data and presentations on the vaccine, which is dubbed mRNA-1010 and branded as mFlusiva.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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