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

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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

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noun

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

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

On the bungled hiring of a management team whose role was not entirely clear.

From Los Angeles Times

After another bungled team performance from McLaren, Max Verstappen is now within reach of what seemed to be an improbable fifth consecutive drivers' world championship.

From Barron's

Back in 1978, a surgeon had bungled cataract surgery, leaving him blind in his left eye.

From The Wall Street Journal

The dog passed the sheep and reached Nyame first—only to bungle the message.

From Literature

And humans make mistakes too; many years ago, a bungled hospital extubation was the likely cause of my grandmother’s death.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• botch
• err
• flub
• fudge
• gum up
• miscalculate
• mishandle
• mismanage
• muff
• screw up