as in hummed
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
a fly bumbling around the room while we were trying to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
accused the White House staff of bumbling the announcement of the replacement for the cabinet post
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
I sort of bumbled through the dance number, hoping that it would soon end
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in chatted
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bumbled
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
After the Knicks bumbled away Game 1 and eventually lost the series in six contests, New York fired former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau after five largely successful seasons.
—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
The same year that Zipf secured his measure of posthumous fame, Harvard’s football team bumbled its way to a 1-8 record.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Which is a shame because Cuoco’s chemistry with on-screen husband Chris Messina was entertaining, especially as the couple bumbled their way through the true crime craze comedy.
—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
As the Rockies bumbled through the 2025 season, The Athletic asked rival executives about hypothetical ways to fix the franchise.
—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
After the Knicks bumbled away Game 1 and eventually lost the series in six contests, New York fired former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau after five largely successful seasons.
—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
The same year that Zipf secured his measure of posthumous fame, Harvard’s football team bumbled its way to a 1-8 record.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Which is a shame because Cuoco’s chemistry with on-screen husband Chris Messina was entertaining, especially as the couple bumbled their way through the true crime craze comedy.
—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbled
Verb
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Experiments were running, discoveries being made, and conferences hummed with new ideas.
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Eye Patch rocked on the balls of his feet and hummed.
Verb
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But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
Verb
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The day after the earthquakes, some volunteers stumbled upon a 7-year-old boy named Mateo, shirtless and covered in debris, sitting by himself on a sidewalk in La Guaira.
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Scientists have stumbled on a rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica, tucked away for decades in a drawer.
Verb
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Other celeb sightings in New York City ahead of the big day include Kelce's Tight End University co-founder George Kittle and his wife Claire, who chatted with PEOPLE recently about their excitement for Swift and Kelce's wedding.
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Tong, who also had a hard-working, immigrant background, chatted often with the younger Larson.
Verb
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Astrophotographer Efrain Morales captured spectacular footage of China's Tiangong space station as its silhouette buzzed Tycho Crater during a lunar transit on May 29, one night before May's Blue Moon.
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The crowd at the party buzzed around one of that show’s key players, Lindsay Hubbard, who was in attendance.
Verb
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Coach Matt LaFleur faces immense pressure after the team blew a 21-3 playoff lead and finished with five straight losses.
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But what really blew me away was the sheer scale of the panoramas.
Verb
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Germany, whose 10 goals in the group stage were tied for the most of any team, struggled to find a way through Paraguay's 4-5-1 setup.
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Even as her body struggled, Gifford noted her sense of humor never disappeared.
Verb
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As Messi roared, his long-term rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, sputtered.
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The vacant plaza, including a former Stop & Shop and a former Bradlees discount store, was demolished in 2012, but progress on attracting new development sputtered in the years afterward.
Cite this Entry
“Bumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbled. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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