What does "botch" mean?
An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work.
Botch
/bɒt͡ʃ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work.
- Grammar: botch is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: blunder, bungle, anamorphosis, bad job.
- Useful contrasts: accomplishing, accuracy, aces.
- Usage evidence: Tom hopes he didn't botch the job.
How to use "botch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "botch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "botch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "botch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "botch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "botch" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "blunder" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "botch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work. transitive
"That I require a cleareneſſe; and with him; / To leaue no Rubs nor Botches in the Worke:"
- 2 A tumour or other malignant swelling. obsolete, transitive
"Botches and blaines muſt all his fleſh imboſs,"
- 3 an embarrassing mistake wordnet
- 4 A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a clumsy manner. transitive
- 5 A case or outbreak of boils or sores. transitive
"The Lord wil smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scabbe, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not bee healed."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A mistake that is very stupid or embarrassing. transitive
- 7 A messy, disorderly or confusing combination; a conglomeration; hodgepodge. transitive
- 8 One who makes a mess of something. archaic, transitive
"If it was the last word I ever spoke, Puddock, you're a good natured—he 's a gentleman, sir—and it was all my own fault; he warned me, he did, again' swallyin' a dhrop of it—remember what I'm saying, Doctor—'twas I that done it; I was always a botch, Puddock, an' a fool; and—and—gentlemen—good-by."
Verb
- 1 To perform (a task) in an incompetent or unacceptable manner; to make a mess of something. transitive
"A botched haircut seems to take forever to grow out."
- 2 make a mess of, destroy or ruin wordnet
- 3 To do (something) without care or skill, or clumsily. transitive
- 4 To mend or repair (something) clumsily. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Tom hopes he didn't botch the job."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "botch"?
Common synonyms include: blunder, bungle, anamorphosis, bad job, bad likeness, ball up.
How do you use "botch" in a sentence?
Tom hopes he didn't botch the job.
How do you pronounce "botch"?
Pronounced /bɒt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bocchen (“to mend”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old English bōtettan (“to improve; cure; remedy; repair”), related to boot, or from Middle Dutch botsen, butsen, boetsen (“to repair; patch”), related to beat. Doublet of bodge.
Etymology 2
From Middle English botche, from Anglo-Norman boche, from Late Latin bocia (“boss”).