Added 10 October 2026
blunder
/ˈblʌn.dəː/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about blunder at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A clumsy or embarrassing mistake.
- A very bad move, usually caused by some tactical oversight.
- Confusion; bewilderment; trouble; disturbance; clamour. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
verb
-
To make a big mistake, especially when it is careless or stupid.
to blunder in preparing a medical prescription
- To make a bad move, especially caused by tactical oversight.
-
To lose a piece due to having made a bad move .mw-parser-output .object-usage-tag{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output .deprecated{color:var(--wikt-palette-grey-lime-8,olivedrab)}[with the piece lost].
blunder a rook
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)