1
as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
added too much flour and flubbed the gravy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbling
to make a mistake
at some point in your training you're going to flub, so don't let it rattle you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flubbing
But Andrew Garfield told a funny story about Pattinson's old roommate, Tom Sturridge, flubbing his own audition for a part in the film.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026
Simeon Cottle, the leading scorer for Kennesaw State men’s basketball, stands accused of intentionally flubbing his performance in a March 1, 2024, game against Queens University.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Filmmaking is flubbing the catch, and sometimes knowing the fool that's to blame is yourself.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
David Jiricek made what could have been a costly turnover in his own zone in the first period, flubbing a touch-pass into his own slot, but Robert Thomas couldn’t convert as Gustavsson steered him aside.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026
Simeon Cottle, the leading scorer for Kennesaw State men’s basketball, stands accused of intentionally flubbing his performance in a March 1, 2024, game against Queens University.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Filmmaking is flubbing the catch, and sometimes knowing the fool that's to blame is yourself.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
David Jiricek made what could have been a costly turnover in his own zone in the first period, flubbing a touch-pass into his own slot, but Robert Thomas couldn’t convert as Gustavsson steered him aside.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flubbing
Verb
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Trump said, fumbling for words.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
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But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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For them, a smarter alert can mean the difference between landing ready for a boardroom and stumbling in after an overnight airport stay.—
Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2026
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Below him, drunken partiers are stumbling back from a day in the unrelenting sun at the MGM Grand’s pool, many of them carrying inflatable tubes, and nearly all in various stages of undress.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Instead, he was left with his tail between his legs and claimed that the Spurs actually dominated the series despite blowing leads in all four of their losses.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Workers in the early morning of June 13 took down the president's signage after blowing past a June 12 deadline to comply with a judge's order.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The footwear rule came into play because local mountain rescue crews were fed up with having to come to the aid of so many people tripping over their own feet.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
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Other common soccer penalties include tripping, kicking, holding or pulling jerseys, pushing or charging players, and dangerous plays like high kicks or kicking near another player's head.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Atlanta was out-everythinged in an 83-71 loss to the Indiana Fever on Thursday, botching a chance at a statement game.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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He was taken into custody at the scene, after botching several sobriety tests, body-cam footage shows.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flubbing. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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