botched; botching; botches
1
: to foul up hopelessly
—often used with up
2
: to put together in a makeshift way
botcher
noun
2
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 (2)
- 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 (2)
this police procedural is basically a botch of plot elements stolen from other (and better) novels
Recent Examples on the Web
John Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2012
Arizona remained white hot for Orton despite his botch and generally doing very little in the match.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 June 2024
In his resignation speech last week, Gantz accused Netanyahu of botching important strategic decisions in Gaza and called for fresh elections.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for botch 
Noun
However, as Jonathan's government botches both issues, the question over his government will move from one of corruption to one of competency.
—John Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2012
Arizona remained white hot for Orton despite his botch and generally doing very little in the match.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool & Wolverine) wrote the script for the feature that focuses on two marketing executives who get fired for botching a potential opportunity.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 June 2024
In his resignation speech last week, Gantz accused Netanyahu of botching important strategic decisions in Gaza and called for fresh elections.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for botch
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'botch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near botch
Cite this Entry
“Botch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botch. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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Medical Definition
botch
noun
: an inflammatory sore
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