botched; botching; botches
1
: to foul up hopelessly
—often used with up
2
: to put together in a makeshift way
botcher
noun
2
: an inflammatory sore
Synonyms
Verb
- blow
- bobble
- boggle
- bollix (up)
- boot
- bugger (up)
- bumble
- bungle
- butcher
- dub
- flub
- fluff
- foozle
- foul up
- fumble
- goof (up)
- louse up
- mangle
- mess (up)
- muck up
- muff
- murder
- screw up
Noun (1)
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of botch in a Sentence
Verb
The store botched the order—I received only half the books I paid for.
They clearly botched the investigation.
Noun (1)
this police procedural is basically a botch of plot elements stolen from other (and better) novels
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Lost during last week’s inquisition into the Hail Mary and botched fullback dive was a careful examination of more macro issues the Bears are dealing with.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
If Tonga Loa is trusted again to play a significant role in this feud after a few high-profile botches, yet another member of the Samoan Dynasty could be called upon to even the odds.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for botch 
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
Debra Blum received a $125,000 settlement from a lawyer who botched her personal physical injury suit.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Lost during last week’s inquisition into the Hail Mary and botched fullback dive was a careful examination of more macro issues the Bears are dealing with.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
But what people would remember, far more than the Mets’ achievement, was Buckner’s botch.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
If Tonga Loa is trusted again to play a significant role in this feud after a few high-profile botches, yet another member of the Samoan Dynasty could be called upon to even the odds.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for botch
Articles Related to botch
Dictionary Entries Near botch
Cite this Entry
“Botch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botch. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
botch
noun
: an inflammatory sore
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share