bumble

1 of 2

verb (1)

bum·​ble ˈbəm-bəl How to pronounce bumble (audio)
bumbled; bumbling ˈbəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce bumble (audio)

bumble

2 of 2

verb (2)

bumbled; bumbling

intransitive verb

1
: blunder
specifically : to speak ineptly in a stuttering and faltering manner
2
: to proceed unsteadily : stumble
bumbler noun

Examples of bumble in a Sentence

Verb (1) a fly bumbling around the room while we were trying to sleep Verb (2) accused the White House staff of bumbling the announcement of the replacement for the cabinet post I sort of bumbled through the dance number, hoping that it would soon end overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The script itself offers up plenty of solid laughs as characters bumble around searching for connections of the flesh and blood variety when not getting their heads chopped off. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025 The Crimson Tide will cruise against FCS Mercer, then draws two bumbling SEC offenses to finish the year. Chase Goodbread, The Tennessean, 13 Nov. 2024 Every time the film comes close to lampooning Olmo and Miguel’s bumbling attempts to fit in, Eimbcke implicitly asks for our empathy by forcing us to recall how the things that were monumentally important to us at 14 now seem lame in hindsight. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2025 What begins as a harmless joke evolves into a chaotic adventure, drawing in a cast of misfit characters, including gangsters and bumbling police officers. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bumble

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English bomblen to boom, of imitative origin

Verb (2)

perhaps alteration of bungle

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1533, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumble was in 1533

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumble. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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