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
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Recent Examples of botching
The look was a polarizing one, to which Alcaraz blamed one of his brothers for botching the assignment.
—
Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The kicking unit had a snafu on its first attempt of the game, with holder Dylan Joyce botching the snap from long snapper Adam Booker in the first quarter.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
So, instead of botching basic clock management over and over again as Jerod Mayo did last year, when the Pats finished 3-6 in one-score games, expect those situations and records to flip.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The kicking unit had a snafu on its first attempt of the game, with holder Dylan Joyce botching the snap from long snapper Adam Booker in the first quarter.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
So, instead of botching basic clock management over and over again as Jerod Mayo did last year, when the Pats finished 3-6 in one-score games, expect those situations and records to flip.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botching
Verb
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Then, after starting the second half by fumbling the ball away at the Rebels’ 17, the Cougars’ next two drives ended in two more Belinske-Strauss touchdown runs – the second of which came on a possession that started at the Champlin Park 1 after a high snap on a Rebels’ punt attempt.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
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Boise State played an uneven first half in Tampa, fumbling twice and committing a huge penalty that gave life to a South Florida touchdown drive.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
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And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Botching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botching. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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