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botch

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To perform in an incompetent or unacceptable way.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bahch
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɑtʃ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. To perform (a task) in an incompetent or unacceptable manner; to make a mess of something.

  2. To do (something) without care or skill, or clumsily.

  3. To mend or repair (something) clumsily.

noun

  1. An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work.

  2. A mistake that is very stupid or embarrassing.

  3. A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a clumsy manner.

  4. A messy, disorderly or confusing combination; a conglomeration; hodgepodge.

  5. A case or outbreak of boils or sores.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To perform (a task) in an incompetent or unacceptable manner; to make a mess of something.

Used this way, botch is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Critical or judgemental
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • bungle , rarer, so it draws attention
  • bollocks , rarer, so it draws attention
  • foul up , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use botch

  • “I botched the dinner and we had to eat out.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

botch jobsore botchawful botch

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • bollocks

    To fail (a task); to make a mess of.

  • spoil

    Make a mess of, destroy or ruin.

  • bobble

    To make a mistake in.

  • fluff

    To make something fluffy.

  • mess up

    To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to perform poorly.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • botch upverbCompound term

    Make a mess of, destroy or ruin.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to perform (a task) in an incompetent

bungleRarebollocksRaremess upfoul upRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.