as in to fumble
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jumble
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
this police procedural is basically a botch of plot elements stolen from other (and better) novels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of botch
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers of both parties accused Bondi of botching the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Congress directed in December.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
Those communication botches, whether on the break or in the half court, often include Towns, who once again vanished as a scorer.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for botch
Verb
And then the police really botched it badly.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers of both parties accused Bondi of botching the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Congress directed in December.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
The 10-member panel’s first time out, in 2022, was a total botch, as the process was unconstitutionally hijacked by Democrats in the Legislature until it was stopped by the state’s highest court.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
Those communication botches, whether on the break or in the half court, often include Towns, who once again vanished as a scorer.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for botch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botch
Verb
-
But there’s a risk the Commission will fumble.—
Parmy Olson,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The family documents describe comfortable lives and prosperous businesses blown apart by the war and the mounting Nazi menace.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The focus narrows in on the remaining passengers and crew in the main sections of the aircraft not blown to bits, the cockpit and a stretch of the main cabin (finally, a reward for flying coach), precariously perched on a reef outcrop.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Since 2007, Congress has relied on a variety of general fund offsets to cover an increasingly larger share of the HTF.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Gray served in a variety of consequential positions over the years and wielded influence deftly to the benefit of the community, said Dick Batchelor, who represented Central Florida in the Legislature from 1974 to 1982 and regarded Gray as a sage confidant.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Authorities bungle the case but still arrest a maintenance worker for the killings.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Denim is large part of the brand’s assortment.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Thousands of photographs and historical documents are stored in archives and the collections section of the museum houses an assortment of memorabilia.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Apparently, staff learned to wash their hands, but the roaches returned to ruin another inspector’s visit.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Food scraps, leaves and wood chips are some essentials that make up the compost medley needed to repair the soil.—
Kara Finnstrom,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Jennifer Hudson delivered a Dreamgirls medley during the event, nodding to the 2006 film in which Murphy starred.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Botch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botch. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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