mangle

verb

ˈmaŋ-gəl How to pronounce mangle (audio)
Definition of manglenext
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mangle are batter, cripple, maim, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When would batter be a good substitute for mangle?

Although the words batter and mangle have much in common, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When could cripple be used to replace mangle?

While in some cases nearly identical to mangle, cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When is maim a more appropriate choice than mangle?

The meanings of maim and mangle largely overlap; however, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

Where would mutilate be a reasonable alternative to mangle?

The synonyms mutilate and mangle are sometimes interchangeable, but mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

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 mangle As reported by Euronews, the opening planned for this weekend has been postponed to an unspecified date after severe winds mangled part of the artwork on the oldest bridge in the French capital. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026 Blade grinders function more like blenders, frantically whirring in circles, mangling the beans, and tossing them all over the grinding chamber. — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 2026 But that’s about it — for whatever reason, most novelists who achieve success tend to stay in their lane, selling the screen rights to their material off to others to adapt and, often, mangle. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 15 May 2026 Trees along the property were mangled. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangle
  1. fumble
  2. blow
  3. dub
  4. ruin
  5. botch
  6. butcher
  7. bungle
  8. destroy
Verb
  • Most of the world was fumbling and scared, and Fauci seemed to have some idea of what to do.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
  • After Duran took third on a fly ball, pinch-hitter Joc Pederson hit a ground ball up the middle that was fumbled by Taylor Walls, allowing Duran to score.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of fumble
Verb
  • Photos show that chunks of ceiling have fallen in two rooms and leaves have blown into a few others, suggesting there are some holes that need to be patched up immediately.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Pirates have blown 20 of 42 save opportunities this season and already released reliever Dennis Santana, who began the year splitting the closing duties with Gregory Soto.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • The hymn was dubbed by the NAACP as the Black national anthem in the early 1900s.
    — PJ Green July 30, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
  • Another side-channel attack, dubbed Downfall and revealed in 2023, affected certain Intel processors.
    — Chetan Jaiswal, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
Definition of dub
Verb
  • Meals are taken family style, and the refinement of the cooking will ruin ordinary Indian restaurant fare for you.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 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 ruin
Verb
  • The look was a polarizing one, leading the Spaniard to blame one of his brothers for botching the assignment.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026
  • New starting center Jared Wilson botched another snap working with Maye.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026
Definition of botch
Verb
  • After tending to the animals, they’re taken to Kalapooia Valley Grass Fed Processing, which Anderson runs, allowing the operation to go from birth to butcher under his supervision.
    — Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • The magazine’s anatomically graphic photos—rats butchered alive, dogs with their faces sliced open, monkeys screaming at the electrodes implanted in their abdomens—seemed like windows into hell.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of butcher
Verb
  • The combustion of Graham Platner’s candidacy in Maine is another blow to a Democratic Party trying to mend its reputation after bungling the 2024 presidential election.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 9 July 2026
  • Kylian Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku and Darwin Nunez are some names at the World Cup who have previously bungled a knee slide celebration by diving into the ground, rather than trying to sling themselves along it.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of bungle
Verb
  • Cal Fire continues to battle the Gann Fire, which has burned more than 10,000 acres in Calaveras County and destroyed over a dozen structures.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • At the same time, Bernadette makes her potion and turns into a 60-foot monster, destroying Pasadena.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroy

Browse Nearby Words

manfully
mangle
mangled
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Cite this Entry

“Mangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangle. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on mangle

Nglish: Translation of mangle for Spanish Speakers

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