bungle
verb (used with object)
to do clumsily and awkwardly; botch.
had bungled
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past perfectof bungle.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Back in 1978, a surgeon had bungled cataract surgery, leaving him blind in his left eye.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
When NPR interviewed Rich Luze, who oversees nutrition for the Sioux City Community School District in Iowa, he worried the government had bungled the way it ended the pandemic’s free meal benefits.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2025
Some local politicians grew frustrated and worried that police had bungled the case.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
They called the agreement “half-baked” and argued that it put too much power in the hands of the same agency that had bungled the billing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2019
Llewellyn, for the Crown, had bungled it a bit.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
