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
Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Rachel reconnects with Sam, her fellow bottom-feeder, and completely bungles the conversation.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
The company drifted into crisis after bungling a transition to electric vehicles.
—Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 28 Oct. 2024
Attending a town hall sponsored by Univision in Las Vegas, Harris was asked about complaints that federal officials have bungled disaster recovery efforts.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bungle 
Verb
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
Rachel reconnects with Sam, her fellow bottom-feeder, and completely bungles the conversation.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
The company drifted into crisis after bungling a transition to electric vehicles.
—Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 28 Oct. 2024
Attending a town hall sponsored by Univision in Las Vegas, Harris was asked about complaints that federal officials have bungled disaster recovery efforts.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bungle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungle
Verb
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By contrast, their opponents have fumbled 21 times, with the Chiefs pouncing on eight of those.Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
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Junior running back Ashton Jeanty fumbled the ball twice — one of those was recovered by the Broncos — en route to falling just short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record.Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Spider-Man 3 (2007) A botch job of oppositional motivations practically disowned by its own director, the messiest Spider-Man movie is a near-constant tonal misfire, simultaneously more serious than its predecessors and more willfully goofy.Darren Franich, EW.com, 7 Jan. 2025
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After a botch in the corner, the announce team continued to tell the story that LA Knight couldn’t get anything going and was not in the right mental space to contend with The Nakataker.Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Credit them with winning 10 games although losing three of their last four and blowing a chance to win the ACC championship and get into the playoff put a huge damper on the season.Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
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The December jobs report showed the U.S. economy blowing past expectations to end the year.Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Its circular design fits the decor perfectly while leaving room to prevent damage to any bobbles and accessories.Shea Simmons, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Jan. 2025
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Hairstylist Jenda Alcorn, who regularly works with both Elle and sister Dakota, brought the loose pigtails together with crystal bobbles to just skim her shoulders.Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.Don Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
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Well, Neptune and his Wildcats might just be ruining the convenient narrative.CJ Moore, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The good news is that Samsung patched the bug, dubbed CVE-2024-49415, with December's OS update after Silvanovich reported the threat in September.Michael Kan, PCMAG, 10 Jan. 2025
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The newest blaze, dubbed the Kenneth Fire, broke out late Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley and has already consumed some 800 acres.Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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