botched

American

[bocht] / bɒtʃt /

adjective

spoiled by poor or clumsy work; bungled.

The teachers are up in arms about the botched rollout of the new standards, which caused unnecessary confusion and stress for them and their students.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of botch.

Other Word Forms

botchedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of botched

botch ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The widow and two children of Santos Ramos have sued Risher Mortuary & Cremation Service, alleging that the Montebello-based funeral home botched Ramos’ embalming and deprived the family of a meaningful final farewell.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Despite obviously botched DHS operations in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Noem said she had “no regrets.”

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

Come April 15, it’s hard to hide losses from stock sales or other botched investment schemes.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

We know that the Department of Justice royally botched the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

I need to find her now, before I have to return to Batalla Hall in the morning and go over details of Day’s botched escape with Commander Jameson.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023