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.

The ripples of the botched Watergate operation spoke to all of those arrogant enough to think they might be able to do it better.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

Come April 15, it’s hard to hide losses from stock sales or other botched investment schemes.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

We know that the Department of Justice royally botched the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

A botched surgery onboard would raise questions of legal rights and compensation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

We go to family parties not to bask in each other's presence but to whisper among ourselves about tacky dresses, botched plastic surgery, and disastrous haircuts and highlights.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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