as in fumbling
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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Recent Examples of mangling
Where was Michael Hill, the commissioner’s office executive serving as Team USA’s general manager, while his manager was mangling the stakes of the situation?
—
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
When Jets safety Malachi Moore went to tackle Hill, the wideout’s leg got caught underneath him, mangling the appendage in the process.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
When Jets safety Malachi Moore went to tackle Hill, the wideout’s leg got caught underneath him, mangling the appendage in the process.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangling
Verb
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Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.—
Mike Barner,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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But Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace hit three-pointers while Smart was fumbling the ball and James and Hachimura were missing shots, while an Oklahoma City 8-0 run eventually gave them another 13-point lead that was never again challenged.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 May 2026
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Trump now faces a break-the-glass moment to avoid gas prices from blowing past Biden-era records highs.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The place is a sound-effects recording studio, with three sound designers creating and dubbing aural effects — footsteps on a sandy beach, flapping bird wings — onto pieces of film footage.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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On the international front, Buen Camino was sold to Netflix which released it on April 29 in 226 countries, dubbing it into more than 14 languages.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Verb
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ProPublica has chronicled the dark world of pig butchering, in which human traffickers in Asia force their victims to scam people by posing as friends or potential romantic interests.—
Robert Faturechi,
ProPublica,
11 Apr. 2026
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While pig butchering operations are veering toward the sophisticated and professional, horrendous abuses persist.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Caneiro, 59, received four consecutive life sentences after being found guilty in February of murdering his brother, Keith, and his brother's family.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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In 2004, a jury found Peterson guilty of murdering his wife and child.—
Alexiah Syrai Olsen,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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When sound came in, people were writing all these articles about how sound is ruining films.—
Andy Hazel,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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Dyckman’s sharing the top three outdoor decor trends that are ruining your space—plus, her favorite Amazon swaps to fix them, starting at $22.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangling. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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