1
as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the first baseman bobbled the catch, so the runner was safe
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bobbling
First baseman Carlos Santana dived toward the foul line and stopped the ball before bobbling it, allowing Rojas to score from third and extend the Dodgers' lead to 4-2.
—
CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Mara also doesn’t have great hands around the rim and has a penchant for bobbling the ball instead of catching it immediately.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The two-point attempt went horribly with Judkins bobbling the snap and ultimately throwing it into no-man’s land.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
After bobbling Wilyer Abreu’s fourth-inning fly ball over the right field fence for a two-run home run, Myers came back to tie the game with a solo shot off Greg Weissert in the top of the ninth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Mara also doesn’t have great hands around the rim and has a penchant for bobbling the ball instead of catching it immediately.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The two-point attempt went horribly with Judkins bobbling the snap and ultimately throwing it into no-man’s land.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
After bobbling Wilyer Abreu’s fourth-inning fly ball over the right field fence for a two-run home run, Myers came back to tie the game with a solo shot off Greg Weissert in the top of the ninth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bobbling
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Almost immediately, the dog begins bobbing her head, tracking the rhythm and sounds as if something deeply familiar has clicked back into place.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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Rare was the creative artist, post-1970, who wasn’t churned up by bobbing in the Beatles’ wake.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The city did not adopt its own grocery tax to replace it, blowing a roughly $80 million hole in its budget.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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Miller’s third save in three tries followed Adrian Morejón blowing his second one-run lead of the season, this time with help from a defensive gaffe.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine previously showed that starting beta-blockers soon after a heart attack did not improve major outcomes for certain patients with normal heart pumping function.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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In a second, shorter video also shared to social media, Kid Rock is seen from a different angle pumping his fist at the first helicopter outside his house.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.—
Gerry Doyle,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bobbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bobbling. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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