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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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Recent Examples of fumbling
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
The robbery, fumbling and amateur, unfolds in classic Reichardt detail, down to Mooney overlooking the fact that the day he’s chosen happens to be one when he’s supposed to be watching his kids, who’ll be out of school.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
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
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Be ill-prepared for Christmas and face the danger of fumbling your most profitable time of the year.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
With the title in their grasp, the Ducks have greased up their fingers, fumbling into a four-game winless slump.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
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
One is how the administration is kind of fumbling around.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
This alone can shave valuable minutes off your screening and help you to breeze through the scanner instead of fumbling at the bins.
—Kayla Kitts, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Kathy Ireland accused her former team of fumbling her multimillion-dollar fortune, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
The robbery, fumbling and amateur, unfolds in classic Reichardt detail, down to Mooney overlooking the fact that the day he’s chosen happens to be one when he’s supposed to be watching his kids, who’ll be out of school.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
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
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
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Be ill-prepared for Christmas and face the danger of fumbling your most profitable time of the year.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
With the title in their grasp, the Ducks have greased up their fingers, fumbling into a four-game winless slump.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
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
One is how the administration is kind of fumbling around.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
This alone can shave valuable minutes off your screening and help you to breeze through the scanner instead of fumbling at the bins.
—Kayla Kitts, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
Kathy Ireland accused her former team of fumbling her multimillion-dollar fortune, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbling
Adjective
-
The Magic are now 1-7 in playoff games when Banchero scores 30 or more, a statistic that raises uncomfortable questions about everything around him.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Put America’s sleep numbers next to its peer nations and the picture gets more uncomfortable.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Anika Reed Latin music superstar Maluma opted for a dapper Tom Ford suit with his hair slicked back into a bun, blowing USA TODAY a kiss before exiting the carpet.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
5 May 2026
-
Police and fire departments in North Arlington warned that prevailing winds were blowing smoke east into North Arlington and advised all residents to close their windows.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Tajul Islam, 55, is accused of groping and molesting the victims inside Masjid Bilal Queens on Sutphin Blvd.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Jennifer Jackson, 39, was charged with felony counts of groping a 15-year-old girl and vandalism.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The title track, with its glassy melody and woozy, almost stumbling groove, deploys wholesome, end-of-the-night, comedown energy not unlike Bicep’s most beloved tracks.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pack comfortable shoes and enjoy stumbling upon the secrets of the city.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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State media also broadcast a photograph of Suu Kyi, seated on a wooden bench and flanked by two uniformed personnel – the first public image of her in years.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
-
Last year, wooden bleachers were replaced with aluminum stands, for example.—
Lori Punko,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
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.—
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
-
McGovern, who is thirty-nine, appeared in the courtroom looking trim, with a neat beard and the hint of a residual Emirati tan.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
At the time of the move, Venable said the Sox were looking for an offensive boost behind the plate.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Goncalves scored soon after the Lightning killed scoring star Nikita Kucherov's penalty for tripping Alexandre Carrier.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
-
Such rules aim to prevent large data centers from tripping offline suddenly or overwhelming the grid due to severe load variability from AI workloads.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbling. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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