botch

1
[ boch ]
See synonyms for: botchbotchedbotcher on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to spoil by poor work; bungle (often followed by up): He botched up the job thoroughly.

  2. to do or say in a bungling manner.

  1. to mend or patch in a clumsy manner.

noun
  1. a clumsy or poor piece of work; bungle: He made a complete botch of his first attempt at baking.

  2. a clumsily added part or patch.

  1. a disorderly or confused combination.

Origin of botch

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bocchen “to patch up”; perhaps to be identified with bocchen “to swell up, bulge” (verbal derivative of bocche botch2), though sense development unclear

Other words for botch

Other words from botch

  • botch·er, noun
  • botch·er·y, noun

Words Nearby botch

Other definitions for botch (2 of 2)

botch2
[ boch ]

noun
  1. a swelling on the skin; a boil.

  2. an eruptive disease.

Origin of botch

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bocche, botch(e), from Old North French boche, dialectal variant of Old French, Middle French boce boss2

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use botch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for botch

botch

/ (bɒtʃ) /


verb(tr often foll by up)
  1. to spoil through clumsiness or ineptitude

  2. to repair badly or clumsily

noun
  1. Also called: botch-up a badly done piece of work or repair (esp in the phrase make a botch of (something))

Origin of botch

1
C14: of unknown origin

Derived forms of botch

  • botcher, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012