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1
as in blowing
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 groping
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 stumbling
to make a mistake
just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fumbling
James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
That bond helped buoy Stevenson through hard days, which peaked with the return of a fumbling problem that dogged him last year.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
The robbery, fumbling and amateur, unfolds in classic Reichardt detail, down to Mooney overlooking the fact that the day he’s chosen happens to be one when he’s supposed to be watching his kids, who’ll be out of school.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
One-word answers litter the path toward your desperate, fumbling attempt to get away.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 1 Oct. 2025
No stars are required to dress up and parade for the cameras or to answer fumbling questions from the press; no juries haggle over prizes; and, above all, there is no obligation to observe the highly suspect principle that the latest thing is bound to be the best.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
One is how the administration is kind of fumbling around.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
This alone can shave valuable minutes off your screening and help you to breeze through the scanner instead of fumbling at the bins.
—Kayla Kitts, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Kathy Ireland accused her former team of fumbling her multimillion-dollar fortune, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Mar. 2026
Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
When the first part of season four ends with Benedict fumbling through a disastrous proposal that Sophie become his mistress, Ha does not crumple or explode in fury.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The characters are precisely strange, interestingly fumbling, and share with Days and Nights’s protagonists an anxious impatience and confusion.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
That bond helped buoy Stevenson through hard days, which peaked with the return of a fumbling problem that dogged him last year.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
The robbery, fumbling and amateur, unfolds in classic Reichardt detail, down to Mooney overlooking the fact that the day he’s chosen happens to be one when he’s supposed to be watching his kids, who’ll be out of school.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
One-word answers litter the path toward your desperate, fumbling attempt to get away.
—Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 1 Oct. 2025
No stars are required to dress up and parade for the cameras or to answer fumbling questions from the press; no juries haggle over prizes; and, above all, there is no obligation to observe the highly suspect principle that the latest thing is bound to be the best.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.
—Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
One is how the administration is kind of fumbling around.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
This alone can shave valuable minutes off your screening and help you to breeze through the scanner instead of fumbling at the bins.
—Kayla Kitts, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Kathy Ireland accused her former team of fumbling her multimillion-dollar fortune, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Mar. 2026
Since the first release in December, critics have accused the administration of fumbling the rollout and withholding too many documents.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
When the first part of season four ends with Benedict fumbling through a disastrous proposal that Sophie become his mistress, Ha does not crumple or explode in fury.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbling
Adjective
-
Pride should come from your willingness to improve, not from resisting uncomfortable truths.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Dry air can be harmful and uncomfortable, but the LEVOIT Top Fill Humidifier can address that in any room of your home.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Field of 68 pointed out that each of Duke's last four NCAA Tournament losses came by blowing a double-digit lead.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jennifer Jackson, 39, was charged with felony counts of groping a 15-year-old girl and vandalism.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Sheriff got into a tussle with his killer after the stranger started drunkenly groping women, including the victim’s girlfriend, according to Fawaz.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Occasionally, King’s assistants, a pair of bulky guys with law-enforcement backgrounds, offered the stumbling line a corrective shove.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Ducks started their trip up five points on Connor McDavid and company, but held just a three-point edge after stumbling 4-2 on Saturday.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Neutral tones, rattan and brown leather furnishings, and antique-style wooden pieces characterise each indoor space so elegantly that interiors barely resemble a tent at all.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
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Cricket was shot for yapping uncontrollably, bungling the mission, and killing innocent bystanders.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The district is also looking at how to pay for aging equipment including heating, ventilation and air conditioning, which could require at least $500,000 in budget increases.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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Rabell said Hernandez’s mother, who lived at the property and ran it with her boyfriend, brought her before at least one ALF owner who was looking for a new resident.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Right after Charlie Coyle began serving a tripping penalty, Alex Wennberg won a draw in the Blue Jackets zone back to Dmitry Orlov, who slid the puck over to Celebrini for a one-timer that beat Elvis Merzlikins 57 seconds into the third period.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Pittsburgh opened the third period on the power play with a two-man advantage after Ottawa took a late tripping penalty and got called early too many men.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbling. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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