blunder

1 of 2

verb

blun·​der ˈblən-dər How to pronounce blunder (audio)
blundered; blundering ˈblən-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce blunder (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to move unsteadily or confusedly
In their exhaustion they often blundered against each other …Norman Mailer
2
: to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
blundered by not acting sooner

transitive verb

1
: to utter stupidly, confusedly, or thoughtlessly
blundered an apology
2
: to make a stupid, careless, or thoughtless mistake in
blundering matters through ignorance …Rafael Sabatini
blunderer noun

blunder

2 of 2

noun

: a gross error or mistake resulting usually from stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
a costly tactical blunder
Choose the Right Synonym for blunder

error, mistake, blunder, slip, lapse mean a departure from what is true, right, or proper.

error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

Examples of blunder in a Sentence

Verb We blundered along through the woods until we finally found the trail. Another skier blundered into his path. The government blundered by not acting sooner. Noun The accident was the result of a series of blunders. fixed a minor blunder in the advertising flyer
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
November and December are shaping up to be important transitional months for you that may take the form of rerouting your internal GPS after blundering wildly off course. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2024 Each encounter is an invitation to panic and blunder, and be forced to repeat it. Gabriel Winslow-Yost, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Noun
The blunder not only allowed a run to score, but extended an inning that would eventually see the Dodgers erase a 5-0 deficit. David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 The primary issues facing this company highlighted by Jana are capital misallocation, a series of operational blunders and corporate governance failings. Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blunder 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blundren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse blunda to shut one's eyes, doze, Norwegian dialect blundra

Noun

noun derivative of blunder entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blunder was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near blunder

Cite this Entry

“Blunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blunder. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

blunder

1 of 2 verb
blun·​der ˈblən-dər How to pronounce blunder (audio)
blundered; blundering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce blunder (audio)
1
: to move unsteadily or blindly
2
: to make a mistake (as through stupidity or carelessness)
3
: to say stupidly or thoughtlessly : blurt
blunderer noun

blunder

2 of 2 noun
: a bad or stupid mistake

More from Merriam-Webster on blunder

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