bousiller

wreck, botch

verb boo-zee-YEH Less Common

Usage Note

Bousiller is a colloquial verb meaning to ruin or break something through carelessness. It is informal and slightly crude in register — il a bousillé mon téléphone means 'he trashed my phone.' In older French it also meant to do shoddy building work, giving a sense of sloppiness.

Examples

"Tu as bousillé le moteur."

Natural Translation

You've wrecked the engine.

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