botched 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbächt How to pronounce botched (audio)
Definition of botchednext
as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation) a botched attempt to mend relations with our disaffected European allies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

botched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of botch
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way the first time we tried to make a cake, we botched the job completely

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of botched
Adjective
Hoyos Foronda’s charge stemmed from a botched procedure in his Astoria apartment on March 28, 2025. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 When he's appointed interim sheriff of a tiny Minnesota town, Ulysses intervenes in a botched bank robbery to discover a stash of gold and heavy weapons that belong to a Yakuza crime syndicate. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026
Verb
Shortstop Miguel Rojas, who botched a grounder to his left earlier in the inning that enabled a run to score, was late breaking to cover third, leaving the bag wide open. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Mbappé botched a breakaway attempt in the second half, and Manu Koné had his top-corner shot knocked away by Gill after he was wiped out in the netting by Ousmane Dembélé only moments earlier. — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for botched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botched
  1. clumsy
  2. fumbled
  3. awkward
  4. bungled
  5. blew
  6. ruined
Adjective
  • The mistake leaders make is concluding that the person who looks uncertain or clumsy must have been the wrong choice.
    — Monica Cutia, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The second trickier and clumsier aside happens when Banderas’ chef tells Tony the tragedy of 17th century French cook François Vatel, who literally fell on his sword before serving a banquet to Louis XIV.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • And Cam Skattebo fumbled at the end of a long run when Layne punched the ball out and corner Korie Black recovered.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Omar Brown hauled in an interception but fumbled, ball was recovered by Anthony Hankerson.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Adjective
  • The vibes are awkward all around, and things only get weirder when Emira pulls Georgia aside to chat.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
  • And like any awkward teenager, his style was portrayed as a bit chaotic and confusing throughout the film—as per Karmin’s plan.
    — Dylan Muñoz, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • For now, the press still sometimes bungled his name as Harry.
    — Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
  • Apollo’s acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo’s online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer.
    — Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Definition of bungled
Verb
  • Back up in his own end zone, Robinson blew past outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, made the snag from Tagovailoa and jogged the rest of the way to the goal line.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Banana Ball World Tour blew through Boise last weekend, bringing two nights of family-friendly, wacky baseball to Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • Atlassian is up over 30% this morning after the collaboration software maker, thought to be ruined by AI, reported a great quarter.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
  • With baseball ruined, the Dodgers will look to avoid their second consecutive series loss via the sweep on Wednesday, sending superstar starter Eric Lauer to the mound against Shota Imanaga.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruined

Browse Nearby Words

botch
botched
botcher
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Botched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botched. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on botched

Nglish: Translation of botched for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All