ENGLISH
REFERENCE

botched

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbɑtʃt// UK //bˈɒtʃt// botched

adj. done badly or ruined because of a lack of care or skill. You use this to describe a task or job that was finished but is full of mistakes.

adj. carried out carelessly or poorly, resulting in a failed or flawed outcome. Often used to describe professional tasks, surgeries, or criminal attempts that went wrong.


SIMPLE

The botched repair job made the leak even worse.

CONTEXTUAL

The police investigation was botched from the start because the first officers on the scene failed to secure the evidence.

COMPLEX

A botched attempt at a corporate merger can leave both companies in a significantly weaker financial position than they were before the negotiations began.

Synonyms
Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun; often follows a linking verb like 'look' or 'seem'.

Pitfall

He botched up the jobHe botched the jobWhile 'mess up' or 'screw up' use 'up', 'botch' is a transitive verb that usually takes the object directly without a particle.

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