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Synonyms

bungle

American  
[buhng-guhl] / ˈbʌŋ gəl /

verb (used with object)

bungled, bungling

  1. to do clumsily and awkwardly; botch.

    He bungled the job.
    Synonyms:
    ruin, spoil, muddle, mismanage

verb (used without object)

bungled, bungling

  1. to perform or work clumsily or inadequately.

    He is a fool who bungles consistently.

noun

  1. a bungling performance.

  2. that which has been done clumsily or inadequately.

bungle British  
/ ˈbʌŋɡəl /

verb

  1. (tr) to spoil (an operation) through clumsiness, incompetence, etc; botch

"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

noun

  1. a clumsy or unsuccessful performance or piece of work; mistake; botch

"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

Other Word Forms

  • bungler noun
  • bungling adjective
  • bunglingly adverb
  • unbungling adjective

Etymology

Origin of bungle

First recorded in 1520–30; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Olympic bosses, who never met an issue they couldn’t bungle, fretted about precedent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Add the examples from psychology and the bungle we're making of the Earth we "manage," and humans don't have good evidence to put ourselves at the top of some kind of evolutionary hierarchy after all.

From Salon • May 29, 2025

So, yes, let’s hold college presidents’ feet to the fire when they bungle on a major issue.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2023

Firefighters can also bungle efforts to hit the fire early.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2023

Because of an administrative bungle, some soldiers were left to convalesce in the hospital.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.