bungle

Might she get in front of a news camera, or on a debate stage, and bungle so badly that an adversary features her in an ad?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

So, yes, let’s hold college presidents’ feet to the fire when they bungle on a major issue.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2023

When she did indeed bungle the lyrics a few minutes into the song, she burst out laughing and said, "What a fun time to just realize you're stupid."

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2023

Farmer: I thought the Chargers might lose, as we’ve seen before, but they had the good fortune of playing an opponent that also has a tendency to bungle victories within their grasp.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2023

What worried her most was not so much putting the powder into Dragon’s bowl, but the fear that at the last minute she might lose her nerve and bungle it somehow.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Just think of the rows and bungles of the last seven weeks.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025

Charlotte and George marry, then George immediately bungles their budding marital bliss.

From Salon ● May 6, 2023

Compounding the bungles, the agency already has waived billions of dollars in overpayments, saying it’s money the state won’t try to collect.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 9, 2023

But if those were my worst bungles in 12 months, I’ll settle for them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2023

Take him with you, openly or secretly as you will, and if he bungles I shall deal with him.

From The Justice of the King by Hamilton Drummond

And a giveaway for coveted World Cup tickets—designed to reward early adopters—was bungled, users say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

On the hard-news side, she bungled big moments like an interview with Vladimir Putin, who batted away her questions about 2016 election meddling with an exasperated performance of ignorance.

From Slate ● May 6, 2026

Her claims have triggered demonstrations, promises to tighten the law and criticism that Chancellor Friedrich Merz has bungled his response.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol capped a remarkable fall from grace on Thursday when he was sentenced to life imprisonment over his bungled efforts to impose military rule.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

“Didn’t you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?”

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

The diplomat, John Barrett, told a Colombian reporter that Washington had “a great deal of confidence…in the local authorities,” vouching for the Rodríguez government even as many Venezuelans accused it of bungling the response.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The Lions completed a historic comeback, with a little help from a bungling David Campese.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2025

Funneled into the framework of a prom slasher, the bungling of "Fear Street: Prom Queen" feels downright pernicious.

From Salon ● May 24, 2025

Thao was accused of bungling the city’s finances, contributing to a budget shortfall that will almost certainly require sweeping cuts across government departments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025

Hoover was careful not to disclose the bureau’s earlier bungling.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann