blunder

1 of 2

verb

blun·​der ˈblən-dər How to pronounce blunder (audio)
blundered; blundering ˈblən-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce blunder (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to move unsteadily or confusedly
In their exhaustion they often blundered against each other …Norman Mailer
2
: to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
blundered by not acting sooner

transitive verb

1
: to utter stupidly, confusedly, or thoughtlessly
blundered an apology
2
: to make a stupid, careless, or thoughtless mistake in
blundering matters through ignorance …Rafael Sabatini
blunderer noun

blunder

2 of 2

noun

: a gross error or mistake resulting usually from stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
a costly tactical blunder
Choose the Right Synonym for blunder

error, mistake, blunder, slip, lapse mean a departure from what is true, right, or proper.

error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

Examples of blunder in a Sentence

Verb We blundered along through the woods until we finally found the trail. Another skier blundered into his path. The government blundered by not acting sooner. Noun The accident was the result of a series of blunders. fixed a minor blunder in the advertising flyer
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Finishing 45th overall, Mr. Trump trails even the mid-19th-century failures who blundered the country into a civil war or botched its aftermath like James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson. Peter Baker, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 As usual, Aniston and Sandler are immensely likable, blundering amiably through a choice selection of mystery clichés. Danny Horn, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024 The presidents of the schools blundered in their responses, giving responses that were widely regarded as more focused on legal terms than human decency. Samuel Schaffer, Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2024 After 9/11, the United States blundered into two wars that each lasted longer than a decade, destabilized an entire region, and permanently tarnished its reputation. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023 Governments, bureaucracies and military institutions that have blundered their way through many a Godzilla adventure are barely seen here. Richard Kuipers, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023 Iran and its nonstate allies, while reluctant to launch an all-out battle with Israel, may be preparing for or blunder into one. Joost R. Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 It cannot be blundered through because of public pressure or a desire for revenge. Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2023 Since then, Collins has taken the helm of his own Twitter account, grabbing laughs in equal parts to relieve the exhaustion and to snipe at his own blundering peers. Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023
Noun
Instead of quieting gossip swirling around the princess, the royal blunder further contributed to wild theories about her well-being and cast more doubt on the reliability of the palace as a source and the existence of the monarchy as a whole. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 According to recent national polls, around four out of five Israelis see him as the person most responsible for the blunders that allowed the October 7 attacks to occur. Ehud Barak, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2024 The developer was one of two entities that bid to refashion the building into something other than a symbol of the city’s real estate blunders. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 The collapse of a 108-year-old college sports institution requires a series of blunders over many years. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024 But even for the carmaker’s CEO, Fisker’s comments are generous, as the automaker faces the whiplash of several blunders and miscalculations that have left it on a financial cliff edge and on the verge of being kicked out of the New York Stock Exchange. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024 The singer quickly addressed the blunder to the audience in a clip that has since made the rounds on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2024 None of the authors or executioners of this stupendous blunder have suffered professionally or lost political standing. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024 Given his own scandals, divisiveness, and strategic blunders leading up to October 7, Netanyahu himself may already have been forced out of office by the time this article appears. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blunder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blundren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse blunda to shut one's eyes, doze, Norwegian dialect blundra

Noun

noun derivative of blunder entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blunder was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near blunder

Cite this Entry

“Blunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blunder. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blunder

1 of 2 verb
blun·​der ˈblən-dər How to pronounce blunder (audio)
blundered; blundering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce blunder (audio)
1
: to move unsteadily or blindly
2
: to make a mistake (as through stupidity or carelessness)
3
: to say stupidly or thoughtlessly : blurt
blunderer noun

blunder

2 of 2 noun
: a bad or stupid mistake

More from Merriam-Webster on blunder

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