French Conversation · Level 129
42 words
French word
bousiller
Pronunciation
IPA/buzije/
Meaning
- verbmess up
Example
Tu as bousillé le gâteau ?
Did you mess up the cake?
More examples
Il a bousillé son téléphone en le faisant tomber.
He ruined his phone by dropping it.
Core concept
A thing or plan is wrecked so badly that it can no longer serve its purpose.
Common phrases
bousiller son téléphone
ruin his phone
bousiller la réputation
ruin the reputation
bousiller quelque chose
ruin something
Similar words
foirer: To bungle preparations or a plan and make the intended outcome fail.
gâcher: To spoil the result and make it unpleasant or less enjoyable.
détruire: To reduce something to complete ruin, so its former shape or function is lost.
Definition in French
Signifie abîmer ou rendre inutilisable quelque chose, matériellement ou au sens figuré.
Word origin
Bousiller is traditionally connected with bouse, "cow dung", and the suffix -iller, with an earlier sense linked to dirtying before the meaning of ruining developed.
Usage tips
- Bousiller is familiar and strongly colloquial, so abîmer or endommager is safer in formal writing.