Synonyms

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

Derived 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.

Stilwell, who refrains from sharing his first name, operates on Catalina Island, a dumping ground for officers who’ve either botched cases or run afoul of their superiors.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

At hearings last December, defense attorneys attempted to suggest police in Altoona, central Pennsylvania, had botched the arrest.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

The NFL and its referees association have a new collective bargaining agreement, avoiding a work stoppage and hopefully anything like 2012’s botched ‘Fail Mary’ call.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Investors have been especially displeased with the botched rollout of Apple Intelligence, which was first announced in 2024 but has been continuously delayed.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

The two girls in front of Cora made cross-eyes at each other and giggled at his botched sounds.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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