botch
1[ boch ]
/ bɒtʃ /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object)
to spoil by poor work; bungle (often followed by up): He botched up the job thoroughly.
to do or say in a bungling manner.
to mend or patch in a clumsy manner.
noun
a clumsy or poor piece of work; bungle: He made a complete botch of his first attempt at baking.
a clumsily added part or patch.
a disorderly or confused combination.
QUIZ
TEST YOUR MERIT ON THESE NEW WORDS IN 2021
The Dictionary added new words and definition to our vast collection, and we want to see how well-versed you are in the formally recognized new lingo. Take the quiz!
Question 1 of 8
What does JEDI stand for?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of botch
1First 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 FROM botch
botch·er, nounbotch·er·y, nounWords nearby botch
Other definitions for botch (2 of 2)
botch2
[ boch ]
/ bɒtʃ /
noun
a swelling on the skin; a boil.
an eruptive disease.
Origin of botch
2Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use botch in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for botch
botch
/ (bɒtʃ) /
verb (tr often foll by up)
to spoil through clumsiness or ineptitude
to repair badly or clumsily
noun
Also called: botch-up a badly done piece of work or repair (esp in the phrase make a botch of (something))
Derived forms of botch
botcher, nounWord Origin for botch
C14: of unknown origin
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