as in humming
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 fumbling
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 stumbling
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 chatting
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bumbling
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
The Kings were booed off the floor Wednesday after bumbling their way through the team’s second-worst homestand of at least four games since February 2021.
—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
13 Nov. 2025
In true Reichardt fashion, the driving force of the film is not the crime itself, which takes place in bumbling fashion in the first third, but what happens afterward.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Stars from Christmas Vacation and the original National Lampoon's Vacation reunited at a panel at Chicago Fan Expo earlier this month, where Randy Quaid and Beverly D'Angelo both recalled the Fletch star's difficulties portraying bumbling patriarch Clark Griswold during the 1989 holiday sequel.
—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
Verb
Kevin's dream of being home alone quickly turns into a hilarious nightmare and battle of wits when a pair of bumbling thieves attempts to break into his house.
—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
The Kings were booed off the floor Wednesday after bumbling their way through the team’s second-worst homestand of at least four games since February 2021.
—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
13 Nov. 2025
In true Reichardt fashion, the driving force of the film is not the crime itself, which takes place in bumbling fashion in the first third, but what happens afterward.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Stars from Christmas Vacation and the original National Lampoon's Vacation reunited at a panel at Chicago Fan Expo earlier this month, where Randy Quaid and Beverly D'Angelo both recalled the Fletch star's difficulties portraying bumbling patriarch Clark Griswold during the 1989 holiday sequel.
—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbling
Verb
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The stock market gains that have helped keep the economy humming have exacerbated the yawning wealth gap.
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Brynjolfsson is teaching overflow classes about AI and technological progress, as well as running a humming lab tracking AI’s effect on workers, firms, and human welfare.
Verb
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My first few hours with the EM11 NL were marked by overshooting links, fumbling through simple selections, and occasionally wondering why anyone would voluntarily use a vertical mouse.
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Bennett is concerned, for instance, that Hong could win her primary and then be defeated in November by Republican Tom Tiffany, fumbling the governorship of a swing state into the hands of a far-right Freedom Caucus member who dabbled in 2020 election conspiracy theories.
Verb
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also fallen foul of Germany’s World Cup elimination by Paraguay, after stumbling into a social media debacle following a communications blunder.
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There's been some stumbling plays, thwarted by tripping and dramatic falls.
Verb
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Lena Dunham was spotted poking her head out of a backseat window and chatting with someone redirecting traffic, while her ex, a suited Jack Antonoff, and his sister, fashion designer Rachel Antonoff, were also seen walking up to MSG.
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While chatting with the NFL brothers, Jason posed a tongue-in-cheek question to the Prince of Wales.
Verb
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Vic makes some baffling choices here, buzzing in twice on the first word in the series without hearing the rest, and getting eliminated from multiple rounds five seconds in.
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Between record-setting parades, military flyovers, and fireworks on the National Mall, the district will be buzzing on Independence Day.
Verb
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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden.
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And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.
Verb
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Trump taking the country to war with Iran, in part at the urging of his pal Bibi — without any sensible plan, debate, sanction from Congress or consideration as to how this might hurt Americans already struggling to make ends meet.
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The rules were altered in 2004 at the urging of Algeria, which was struggling to field a competitive national team with wholly domestic players and saw dozens of better prospects from the diaspora living in France.
Verb
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Signs of heat stroke in dogs include heavy panting and drooling, being weak or lethargic, bright red gums and bloodshot eyes.
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This golden lasagna is the perfect way to offer a vegetarian option that meat-eaters will be drooling over.
Cite this Entry
“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbling. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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