as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mangle
Francisco Carmona, Córdoba’s fire chief, told Spanish national radio RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four wagons off the rails.
—
Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Two weeks after Alt’s ankle was mangled, depriving Herbert of his blindside protector, the quarterback and the offense came a cropper in a 30-6 blowout at Jacksonville in mid-November.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
When laundering mittens or gloves in the washing machine, use a protective mesh bag to keep these small items from getting lost or mangled in the wash.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mangle
Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Two weeks after Alt’s ankle was mangled, depriving Herbert of his blindside protector, the quarterback and the offense came a cropper in a 30-6 blowout at Jacksonville in mid-November.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
When laundering mittens or gloves in the washing machine, use a protective mesh bag to keep these small items from getting lost or mangled in the wash.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangle
Verb
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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
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Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pitchers and batters are both worse than a coin-flip at issuing challenges – blown calls in a matter of seconds.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tesla's self-driving technology and the development of a humanoid robot, dubbed Optimus, are expected to further turbocharge growth, according to Ives.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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The online trend, dubbed Chinamaxxing, has non-Chinese content creators singing the praises of their newfound Chinese identity.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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In a federal lawsuit filed this month seeking millions in damages, Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, accused Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi of intentionally botching the translation of the lyrics, central to both the Disney films and the musical theater adaptations.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nova — who was working a second job as a delivery driver to provide for his family — had a little more than $100 on him when he was robbed and butchered.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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By butchering the fish in the restaurant, Hanke reduces the amount of time in which the quality of the fish could deteriorate.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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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,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Later, a fire at Hall’s grandmother’s house would destroy most of his magic act.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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This time around, in that first wave of strikes on February 28, American cruise missiles targeted and destroyed a building that ended up being a girls’ school—killing more than 168 young children who had just started their day of classes.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangle. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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