botched

American

[bocht] / bɒtʃt /

adjective

spoiled by poor or clumsy work; bungled.

The teachers are up in arms about the botched rollout of the new standards, which caused unnecessary confusion and stress for them and their students.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of botch.

Other Word Forms

botchedly

adverb

Etymology

Origin of botched

botch ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

His tally could have been even higher if he hadn’t botched a 28th-minute penalty.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

Because of course, our national 250th birthday celebrations would be botched.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2026

He and several others were arrested for their role in the botched operation, but the charges were dropped in 2022 as prosecutors saw "no prospects of success".

From BBC • May 30, 2026

The association identifies several reasons for the lackluster bookings, including botched planning by FIFA, the World Cup’s governing body.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

That was Haymitch's second instruction, and since I sort of botched the first, I keep a sharp eye out for any sign of it.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

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