From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishblunderblun‧der1 /ˈblʌndə $ -ər/ noun [countable] MISTAKEa careless or stupid mistake A last-minute blunder cost them the match.► see thesaurus at mistake
Examples from the Corpus
blunder• It is a laborious process, likely to lead to embarrassing blunders if badly done.• Field goal follies At least four games this season were decided on field goal blunders.• The parents face a nightmare week-long wait before blood tests show if there has been a hospital blunder.• Major management blunders have led the company into bankruptcy.• a series of management blunders• Snow was Harold Wilson's biggest ministerial blunder.• History was being catalogued here, the missed opportunities, blunders, and outright mistakes.• One popular blunder that almost every economist denounces is rent control.• It seems to be another public relations blunder by the government.• She stopped, finally aware of the terrible blunder she had made.blunderblunder2 verb 1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]WALK to move in an unsteady way, as if you cannot see properlyblunder about/around Someone was blundering about in the kitchen.blunder into/past/through etc something Phil came blundering down the stairs.2 [intransitive]MISTAKE to make a big mistake, especially because you have been careless or stupid They blundered badly when they gave him the job.3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to enter a place or become involved in a difficult situation by mistakeblunder into Somehow we blundered into the war.blunder in He would have agreed if you hadn’t blundered in.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
blunder• On occasion even the latter have lost their usual reticence and blundered.• To be raped is one thing, but to blunder around disorientated is another.• He realized he had blundered by picking such an experienced player for the team.• The government later admitted it had blundered in its handling of the affair.• They turned a corner and blundered into a group of soldiers.• On the second night out of Hong Kong we blundered into the middle of a fishing fleet working close inshore.• You can see so little as you blunder on that you are an easy target for any animal seeking fresh meat.• He developed the photographs himself, blundering round the bathroom in the pitch dark.• A moth thudded into the parchment lampshade and blundered round, trying to escape.• Police admitted that they blundered when they let Wylie go.blunder about/around• To be raped is one thing, but to blunder around disorientated is another.• He realized his blunder about eight minutes before his scheduled 7: 36 a. m. tee time.• Until we do, we shall be blundering about in the dark.• They're blundering about like a ship in the fog, with no terms of reference to steer by.• Forest Goblin shamans are prone to run off dizzily, or just blunder about, unable to distinguish fact from venom-induced fiction.Origin blunder2 (1300-1400) Probably from a Scandinavian language 