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Webster 1913 Edition

Blunder

Blun′der

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Blundered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Blundering
.]
[OE.
blunderen
,
blondren
, to stir, confuse, blunder; perh. allied to
blend
to mix, to confound by mixture.]
1.
To make a gross error or mistake;
as, to
blunder
in writing or preparing a medical prescription
.
Swift.
2.
To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble.
I was never distinguished for address, and have often even
blundered
in making my bow.
Goldsmith.
Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place,
And
blunders
on, and staggers every pace.
Dryden.
To blunder on
.
(a)
To continue blundering.
(b)
To find or reach as if by an accident involving more or less stupidity, – applied to something desirable; as, to blunder on a useful discovery.

Blun′der

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To cause to blunder.
[Obs.]
“To blunder an adversary.”
Ditton.
2.
To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
He
blunders
and confounds all these together.
Stillingfleet.

Blun′der

,
Noun.
1.
Confusion; disturbance.
[Obs.]
2.
A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity, or culpable ignorance.
Syn. –
Blunder
,
Error
,
Mistake
,
Bull
.
An error is a departure or deviation from that which is right or correct; as, an error of the press; an error of judgment. A mistake is the interchange or taking of one thing for another, through haste, inadvertence, etc.; as, a careless mistake. A blunder is a mistake or error of a gross kind. It supposes a person to flounder on in his course, from carelessness, ignorance, or stupidity. A bull is a verbal blunder containing a laughable incongruity of ideas.

Webster 1828 Edition

Blunder

BLUN'DER

,
Verb.
I.
[This word seems to be allied to the Gr.,to err, and to flounder. The sense of the latter is to move with sudden jerks, and irregular motions.]
1.
To mistake grossly; to err widely or stupidly.
2.
To move without direction, or steady guidance; to plunge at an object; to move, speak or write with sudden and blind precipitance; as, to blunder upon a reason; to blunder round a meaning.
3.
To stumble, as a horse; a common use of the word.

BLUN'DER

,
Noun.
A mistake through precipitance, or without due exercise of judgment; a gross mistake.

Definition 2024

blunder

blunder

English

Noun

blunder ‎(plural blunders)

  1. A clumsy or embarrassing mistake.

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

blunder ‎(third-person singular simple present blunders, present participle blundering, simple past and past participle blundered)

  1. (intransitive) To make a clumsy or stupid mistake.
    to blunder in preparing a medical prescription
  2. (intransitive) To move blindly or clumsily.
    • Goldsmith
      I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow.
    • Dryden
      blunders on, and staggers every pace
  3. (transitive) To cause to make a mistake.
    • Ditton
      To blunder an adversary.
  4. (transitive) To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
    • Stillingfleet
      He blunders and confounds all these together.

Translations

Anagrams

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology

From English blunder, from Middle English blonder, blundur ‎(“disturbance, strife”), from Old Norse blunda ‎(“to shut the eyes”). Related to blind.

Noun

blunder m ‎(plural blunders, diminutive blundertje n)

  1. blunder

Related terms

Anagrams

Verb

blunder

  1. first-person singular present indicative of blunderen
  2. imperative of blunderen

Swedish

Noun

blunder c

  1. blunder; clumsy mistake

Declension

Etymology

From Middle English blunder, blonder ‎(“disturbance, strife”), from the verb blundren, blondren, which itself is partly from Middle English blondren, a frequentative form of blonden, blanden ("to mix; mix up"; see blend); and partly from blundren, a frequentative form of blunden ‎(“to stagger; stumble”), from Old Norse blunda ‎(“to shut the eyes; doze”). Cognates include Swedish dialectal blundra ‎(“to act blindly or rashly”), Danish blunde ‎(“to blink”) or blunde ‎(“to take a nap”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈblʌn.də(ɹ)/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈblʌn.dɚ/
  • Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)

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