as in fumbled
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 bungled
The accusation is that the administration bungled by not believing that Iran would follow through on its threats.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
But both episodes will go down in state history as poorly handled, bungled beyond all understanding, the two shoves on our back that sent us spiraling out of control.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Andrew Cunanan, and Beanie Feldstein’s wide-eyed Monica Lewinsky, a performance that might have achieved icon status had Disney not bungled the FX on Hulu rollout.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
But both episodes will go down in state history as poorly handled, bungled beyond all understanding, the two shoves on our back that sent us spiraling out of control.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
Compare that to how Bondi prostituted the Justice Department to a vengeful president and bungled the entire Epstein matter.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Andrew Cunanan, and Beanie Feldstein’s wide-eyed Monica Lewinsky, a performance that might have achieved icon status had Disney not bungled the FX on Hulu rollout.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bungled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungled
Verb
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The Storm had the Inter&Co Stadium crowd of 11,127 people on their feet early after Columbus fumbled the opening kickoff and safety Josh Minkins jumped on it to give the Storm their initial possession inside the 30-yard line.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pulisic also botched a breakaway chance in the 45th minute when his pass for Weston McKennie in was too late, allowing Portugal’s defense to recover.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Center fielder Oneil Cruz botched consecutive plays in the first inning, helping the Mets score five runs off a surprisingly ineffective Skenes (0-1), matching his career high.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Predators blew a 3-0 lead before O'Reilly converted off a pass from Luke Evangelista to give them their 15th straight win over the Sharks for their longest winning streak ever against one opponent.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Fish, after 8-2 Friday loss, blew a 4-0 lead Saturday and fell to the Stripes 9-7.—
Greg Cote
April 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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