as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
her assistant fumbled the party plans by getting the time wrong on the invitations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grope
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
the librarian fumbled for the light switch as she entered the dark room
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of fumble
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Harmon made the most of his one year with the Ducks, making 45 tackles, including 10½ for a loss and five sacks while forcing two fumbles after transferring from Michigan State.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Feb. 2025
Congress could cut Medicaid and (maybe) Medicare Kennedy hasn't spoken much about the future of Medicaid or Medicare and in his hearings fumbled basic questions about how they are set up.
—Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
Lawrence had three sacks and one forced fumble through four games in the 2024 season, but unfortunately suffered a foot injury that would keep him sidelined for the remainder of the year.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Harmon made the most of his one year with the Ducks, making 45 tackles, including 10½ for a loss and five sacks while forcing two fumbles after transferring from Michigan State.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
Instead of fumbling around with difficult buttons, the duvet cover has a zipper for easy care.
—Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Feb. 2025
Congress could cut Medicaid and (maybe) Medicare Kennedy hasn't spoken much about the future of Medicaid or Medicare and in his hearings fumbled basic questions about how they are set up.
—Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
Tip #4: Double-check your figures Making a simple math mistake or switching the last two digits of your Social Security Number can cause big problems for the IRS.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
-
A number of Republican and Libertarian figures have since voiced support for Massie on social media, suggesting Trump is making a mistake by attacking the Kentucky lawmaker.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Keep windows and doors closed to avoid pollen being blown into your home.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Limit hot tool use: Take a break from hot curling irons, straighteners, and blow dryers.—
Carley Millhone,
Health,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Parker said her friend took off and hid in a stairwell after being groped by Alon.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Nightclubs are full of lecherous old Americans groping belly dancers with their webbed frog hands.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Everything will then be sold – unless he’s stumbled across a famous ball.—
Don Riddell,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
-
The main character, a married artist in her mid-forties, sets out from her Los Angeles home, stumbles into a psychosexual dynamic with a young rental-car attendee, and decides to remodel a motel room into a love nest.—
Jennifer Wilson,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The blunder occurred while Trump, 78, was speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews military facility in Maryland after giving a speech at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 14.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The longer-term question is how much more patience and grace Trump’s base will grant Bondi, who already bears scars as the central figure in arguably the administration’s earliest blunder.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The morning after that happened, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) — who left the Freedom Caucus last year after the group booted Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) — started circulating at 9 a.m. a resolution to censure Green, getting support from nearly 30 co-sponsors, including a number of fellow Texans.—
Emily Brooks,
The Hill,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Gaza Wang was unequivocal when asked about Trump's plan to boot Palestinians from Gaza and turn the territory over to the U.S. to develop.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
When the final conference title games had ended on Sunday, ESPN’s bracket expert had UNC on the outside looking in.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
17 Mar. 2025
-
But the team that faces Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday morning in Tokyo looks capable of building belief in the upcoming summer, thanks to a lineup that should be the most reliable in the National League Central.—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Sure, trips to the salon for cut, color, treatment and styling provide some form of hair and scalp care, but only on a cosmetic level.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Denver then countered a White-to-Kornet lob and a White 3-pointer on back-to-back Boston trips with consecutive threes from Braun and Murray, who was far more effective over the final three quarters.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share