botch

1 of 3

verb

ˈbäch 

botched; botching; botches

transitive verb

1

: to foul up hopelessly

—often used with up

2

: to put together in a makeshift way

botcher noun

botch

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: something that is botched : mess

2

: patchwork, hodgepodge

botchy

ˈbä-chē 

adjective

botch

3 of 3

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

Verb

But if the officer corps’ voice is too weak, complex battlefield operations – and the strategic planning that precedes it – are likely to be botched, as happened in Vietnam. —Dwight Stirling, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2025

Also, the Premier League are scoundrels for botching Chelsea’s plan for replacing an injured player by simply buying a new one. —Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025

Noun

Braden Mann’s botch of the opening kickoff, Luke McCaffrey’s 47-yard return and Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s unnecessary roughness penalty embodied the sloppy play that’s recently been awarding opponents advantageous field position. —The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024

Lastly, there was the botch job of trading away Jake Guentzel at the deadline last season. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bocchen

Noun (2)

Middle English boche, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *bottia boss

First Known Use

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing botch

• botch-up
• make a botch of

Rhymes for botch

• boche
• brough
• crotch
• gotch
• notch
• rotch
• scotch
• swatch
• watch
• butterscotch
• hopscotch
• stopwatch

Kids Definition

botch

1 of 2 verb

ˈbäch 

: to make or do something in a clumsy or unskillful way : spoil, bungle

botch

2 of 2 noun

: a botched job : mess

botchy

-ē

adjective

Medical Definition

botch

noun

ˈbäch 

: an inflammatory sore