blunder
verbEtymology
Inherited from Middle English blundren, blondren (verb) and blunder, blonder (“disturbance, strife”), from the verb; partly from Middle English blondren, a frequentative form of Middle English blonden, blanden ("to mix; mix up"; corresponding to blend + -er); and partly from Middle English blundren, a frequentative form of Middle English blunden (“to stagger; stumble”), from Old Norse blunda (“to shut the eyes; doze”). Cognates include Norwegian blunda (“to shut the eyes; doze”), dialectal Swedish blundra (“to act blindly or rashly”), Danish blunde (“to blink”) or blunde (“to take a nap”), Icelandic blunda (“to nap; doze”). Related to English blind.
7 senses
- 1To make a big mistake, especially when it is careless or stupid.
- 2To make a bad move, especially caused by tactical oversight.
- 3To lose a piece due to having made a bad move [with the…
- 4To overlook the possibility of, or end up in, a…
- 5To move in an unsteady way.
- 6To enter a place or become involved in a difficult…
- 7To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
To make a big mistake, especially when it is careless or stupid.
- to blunder in preparing a medical prescription
Backgammon, Board games, Chess, Games To make a bad move, especially caused by tactical oversight.
Board games, Chess, Games To lose a piece due to having made a bad move [with the piece lost].
- blunder a rook
Board games, Chess, Games To overlook the possibility of, or end up in, a specified undesirable situation after making a bad move.
- blunder a draw
- blunder a mate in one
Figuratively, Sometimes, With adverb or preposition To move in an unsteady way.
- I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow.October 6, 1759, Oliver Goldsmith, The Bee No. 1
- blunders on, and staggers every pace1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
With adverb or preposition To enter a place or become involved in a difficult situation by mistake.
- He and I had blundered into the middle of a gang fight once and I saw him shank a guy-stuck homeboy in the chest and strolled off cool as you please.2007 May 6, Steve Geng, “First Chapter: ‘Thick as Thieves’”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Jun 2015:
Obsolete To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
- He blunders and confounds all these together.1676, Edward Stillingfleet, A Defence of the Discourse Concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome:
- Were a Diſpute to be manag'd purely for a Trial of Skill; then to ſhuffle and digreſs from the Matter in hand, ſo as by any means whatſoever to blunder an Adverſary, and ſtop the Progreſs of his Argument, were a more pardonable Piece of Folly.1714, Humphry Ditton, A discourse concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
- Derived terms
- blunderer, blundering, blunderingly, blundery, outblunder, unblundered, unblundering