bumble

1 of 2

verb (1)

bum·​ble ˈbəm-bəl 

bumbled; bumbling ˈbəm-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: buzz

2

: drone, rumble

bumble

2 of 2

verb (2)

bumbled; bumbling

intransitive verb

1

: blunder

specifically : to speak ineptly in a stuttering and faltering manner

2

: to proceed unsteadily : stumble

transitive verb

: bungle

bumbler

ˈbəm-b(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms of bumble

Verb (1)

• hum
• buzz
• zip

Verb (2)

• fumble
• blow
• bungle

Examples of bumble in a Sentence

Verb (1)

a fly bumbling around the room while we were trying to sleep

Verb (2)

accused the White House staff of bumbling the announcement of the replacement for the cabinet post

I sort of bumbled through the dance number, hoping that it would soon end

overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Except this time, the keeper’s save bumbled forward out of his hands and the ball dropped to Mikel Merino, who came to Spain’s rescue yet again. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 10 July 2026

The pair come off less as cybercriminal masterminds than as galumphing galoots—that is to say, a pair of bumbling oafs who thought that asking AI how to cover their tracks was going to keep them out of federal prison. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026

There’s no kids club or even pool in this boutique hotel, but that didn’t stop my kids from bumbling around and feeling at ease in an upscale environment. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026

Lori seems to be a bit of a blank slate, both to Julian’s bumbling children and to Julian himself, who thinks Lori has been hired as his assistant to help manage his affairs and sort through the paintings littering his crumbling abode. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English bomblen to boom, of imitative origin

Verb (2)

perhaps alteration of bungle

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1533, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing bumble

• bumble bee

Rhymes for bumble

• crumble
• fumble
• grumble
• humble
• jumble
• mumble
• rumble
• stumble
• tumble
• umbel