bungles 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bungle
as in fumbles
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way bungled the job the first time she tried to do it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bungles

2 of 2

noun

plural of bungle
as in botches

Related Words

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 bungles
Verb
Gentleman thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) circles the prize while Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) bungles the pursuit with sublime obliviousness. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungles
  1. fumbles
  2. botches
  3. blows
  4. bobbles
Verb
  • Lake Mary’s Remy Jarman fumbles the ball on his run and Oviedo recovers.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Buford scored 17 points off three Gainesville fumbles on punt plays.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbles
Noun
  • During last week's WWE SmackDown, a series of mistakes and botches drew harsh criticism from fans.
    — Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Definition of botches
Verb
  • The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • By the time Frey and Felder nearly came to blows backstage in the summer of 1980, however, those threads were too frayed to hold.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of blows
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the Dodgers added two more insurance runs in the fifth with a solo homer from Ohtani, a double from Pages and a couple of defensive bobbles by the Rockies.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But the experience includes a few bobbles—call them growing pains.
    — Brent Rose, Outside, 28 Feb. 2026
Definition of bobbles

Browse Nearby Words

bunglers
bungles
bunglesome
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Cite this Entry

“Bungles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungles. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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