blunderbuss

noun

ˈblən-dər-ˌbəs How to pronounce blunderbuss (audio)
Definition of blunderbussnext
as in butcher
someone who bungles an effort leave it to that blunderbuss to bungle a job that a child could do

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blunderbuss Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs. — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025 Cost cutting ‘blunderbuss’ DOGE is part of a long line of presidential efforts to take an ax to the administrative state. — Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025 Colman is Edith Swan, a middle-aged church lady who still lives with her blunderbuss of a father (Timothy Spall) and mild-mannered mother (Gemma Jones) in a working-class neighborhood of Littlehampton. — Ty Burr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for blunderbuss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blunderbuss
  1. butcher
  2. incompetent
Noun
  • Add Preferred Source The 79-cent price is a nod to 1979, when Perry’s got its start as a small Houston butcher shop before growing into a steakhouse chain with locations across Texas and several other states.
    — Claire Goodman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In This Article A trip to your local butcher or the meat department of your grocery store can cause confusion.
    — Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of butcher
Noun
  • The Dodgers reached the pinnacle honestly, in a capitalistic structure that properly hands no favors to the incompetent.
    — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of incompetent

Browse Nearby Words

blunder
blunderbuss
blunderbusses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blunderbuss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blunderbuss. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on blunderbuss

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blunderbuss

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All