bungle
verb (used with object)
to do clumsily and awkwardly; botch.
have bungled
-
present perfectof bungle.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Maybe, they reasoned, Aaron Judge wouldn’t have bungled that routine fly ball in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers had he worn a suave Salvador Dali mustache.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
One explanation gaining ground is that, with the best of intentions, we grown-ups have bungled the task of teaching kids to read.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
Prosecutors claimed the mismatch came from a clerical error, although the crime scene investigator was later found to have bungled other major cases.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 25, 2021
Hawley may have bungled the rollout of his own book, but it looked like he helped buoy the sales of someone else’s.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2021
To have had the game in his hands and have bungled it!
From The Fortieth Door by Mary Hastings Bradley
