bungle

To bungle something is to make a costly mistake, to be awkward or clumsy.

• Sam knew he had bungled his job so badly that he was going to be fired.
• The quarterback bungled the play on the field, and the team lost the game.
• An actor bungled the performance.
• A cashier bungled a transaction and lost over $500.
• The police bungled the investigation of the crime, so the suspect was set free.
• Please, don’t bungle this. It’s important that the work is done correctly.

A person who makes mistakes might be called a bungler.

• Todd is a bungler. He can’t do anything right.
• The CEO of the company turned out to be a bungler, so they went out of business.

He turned out be a bungler.

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Published January 25, 2014