as in uncomfortable
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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
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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
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026
No more fussing, fumbling, or making a mess of my counter.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Gone is the fumbling little girl of before, replaced by a woman full of anger and ready to take her own life to prove her love.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Signs of hypothermia in adults include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness.
—Jarrod Wardwell, Houston Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2026
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
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
Gone will be the life complications of fumbling to attach a baggage tag to each of your suitcases at check-in.
—Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
That’s incredibly useful when navigating menus, asking for directions, or communicating abroad without fumbling through translation apps.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.
—Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
But Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace hit three-pointers while Smart was fumbling the ball and James and Hachimura were missing shots, while an Oklahoma City 8-0 run eventually gave them another 13-point lead that was never again challenged.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
The result leaves nearly every performer fumbling for traction in Serkis and Stoller’s muddy-yet-gutless cinematic sty.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The fact that his fumbling journey toward fatherhood is not just tolerable but genuinely touching is a testament to the disarming earnestness with which Firstman approaches the clichéd set-up.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026
No more fussing, fumbling, or making a mess of my counter.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Gone is the fumbling little girl of before, replaced by a woman full of anger and ready to take her own life to prove her love.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Signs of hypothermia in adults include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness.
—Jarrod Wardwell, Houston Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2026
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
Trump said, fumbling for words.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
Gone will be the life complications of fumbling to attach a baggage tag to each of your suitcases at check-in.
—Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
That’s incredibly useful when navigating menus, asking for directions, or communicating abroad without fumbling through translation apps.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.
—Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
But Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace hit three-pointers while Smart was fumbling the ball and James and Hachimura were missing shots, while an Oklahoma City 8-0 run eventually gave them another 13-point lead that was never again challenged.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
The result leaves nearly every performer fumbling for traction in Serkis and Stoller’s muddy-yet-gutless cinematic sty.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbling
Adjective
-
Still, the atmosphere was uncomfortable enough that Habermas left the institute a year later, to write his Habilitation, or second dissertation, a requirement for qualifying as a professor in German universities.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Don’t suffer through summer in uncomfortable shoes.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 abuse included groping and fondling of the students’ genitals and other acts under the guise of a medical examination.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
The abuse included groping and fondling of the students' genitals and other acts under the guise of a medical examination.—
Jasper Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
While the cameras were rolling, Spielberg would stand just out of frame with two wooden bats, banging them together to startle her.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2026
-
The midwife would place a long wooden tube on my belly every now and again and listen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
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.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hiking Hverdalir requires hundreds of steps, but a buggy ride on one of the property’s ATVs may be a better bet for those looking for something a little less impactful.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
Blue went home the day after surgery, already looking more comfortable.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Fumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbling. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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