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
Isak’s actions were disrespectfully militant, but Newcastle damagingly bungled the situation.
—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
16 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
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
16 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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But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
Verb
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The Boston southpaw didn’t permit a baserunner until Spencer Jones, who botched a ball in center field a half-inning later, singled in the sixth inning.
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Pulisic nearly scored again in the 63rd minute, but his quick shot off a nice pass from Berhalter was knocked off the goalpost by Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, and Brenden Aaronson botched the resulting sitter.
Verb
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One interception attempt resulted in a large explosion that spectacularly blew the roof off a fuel tank.
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After the final whistle blew and this Norway team had made history, Haaland took a moment and looked into the Norwegian cheering section, trying to process what had just happened.
Cite this Entry
“Bungled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungled. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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