botch 1 of 2

verb

Definition of botchnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

botch

2 of 2

noun

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 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 botch
Verb
The low point came during Super Bowl LVIII, when Romo botched the call of Patrick Mahomes' game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, a moment many viewed as symbolic of his decline in the booth. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Some contractor, or postal maintenance employee, had botched the repair. — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
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 This might seem like a minor quibble, but the fact that the new movie botches the whole wait-what-did-they-actually-do-last-summer thing speaks to a prevailing sense of laziness. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for botch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botch
  1. fumble
  2. jumble
  3. blow
  4. variety
  5. bungle
  6. assortment
  7. ruin
  8. medley
Verb
  • Specifically, Nico Iamaleava struggled, fumbling once and throwing interceptions to Oregon’s Koi Perich and Jerry Mixon.
    — Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Irving scored his second touchdown of the game to further the Bucs’ lead, and Prescott wouldn’t even get the ball back after KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which Tampa Bay recovered.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumble
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
Definition of jumble
Verb
  • But the administration blew past a Sunday evening deadline and ran two of the ads into the early hours of Monday, advertising data from AdImpact shows.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Commanders scored a touchdown two minutes into the game and never trailed, yet still blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • For this leaner, meaner Deafheaven, stylistic variety takes a backseat to speed and chaos, and when properly executed, subtle melodic or rhythmic tweaks wield the heft of the more tectonic transitions in the band’s defining songs.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Fans of pro and college sports can access networks like FS1 and ESPN with a variety of DIRECTV packages.
    — Christopher Murray OutKick FOX News has been compensated for, and may earn a commission, if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom., FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of variety
Verb
  • In the space of a few paragraphs, Ned will abandon and recover his child, bungle an extramarital affair, win and lose, experience ecstasy and dejection.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Joe Burrow bungles Bengals’ passing game My theory of the case with Caleb Williams is that there was untapped running value here.
    — Michael Salfino, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of bungle
Noun
  • Our success so far has been 100 percent chalked up to using the constraint of our assortment as our superpower.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • At Liberty London, buyers order a significant portion of the range through pre-collections, which gives their assortment a strong commercial foundation.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of assortment
Verb
  • On Monday, workers hauled out a 200-pound piece of equipment that was ruined by the saltwater and sand carried in on the high tides.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • So our goal is to learn how to maximize AI budgets, not ration them and ruin productivity gains.
    — Konstantin Klyagin, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin
Noun
  • After an opening medley that spans New Orleans jazz and bounce, the record’s signposts grow increasingly fuzzy.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The monitoring detected a medley of air contaminants commonly associated with burning fossil fuels.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of medley

Browse Nearby Words

botanicals
botch
botched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Botch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botch. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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