bumbling
adjective
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Definition of bumbling
: awkwardly blundering or faltering a bumbling speaker : prone to or marked by foolish mistakes a bumbling attempt to fix the problem … many Americans see the F.D.A. as bumbling and inefficient …— Herbert Burkholz
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Examples of bumbling in a Sentence
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Weinberg said Abscam was a bumbling investigation that nearly went off the rails. — Harrison Smith, latimes.com, "Mel Weinberg, con artist at center of Abscam sting that landed U.S. politicians in prison, dies at 93," 9 June 2018 Privacy - Terms The comedic and bumbling twists and turn, lead the audience through a whirlwind of mistaken identities and surprising emotional shifts. — The Heart Of America Shakespeare Festival, kansascity, "Heart of America Shakespeare Festival More than a Performance in the Park (Sponsored)," 18 June 2018 But what’s true for a bumbling non-actor is also true for anyone striving to make authentic and inclusive theater: Listening harder is a really good start. — James Hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For theater community, finding ways to reflect societal diversity onstage is more urgent than ever," 13 July 2018 To the world beyond the borders of the kingdom his driving edict appears ludicrous, a bumbling attempt to provide a false physiological basis to a ban imposed by humans. — Rafia Zakaria, The New Republic, "Driving Toward Change," 23 June 2018 Now he’s being touted as the potential savior for a bumbling offense that finished 101st nationally in yards per play last season. — Chris Johnson And Eric Single, SI.com, "Top 100 College Football Players of 2018: Nos. 100–51," 18 June 2018 Historians began revising, some time ago, the earlier judgments of Grant as an unimaginative, bloody-minded general and bumbling president. — New York Times, "John McCain: By the Book," 3 May 2018 Cleveland Clowns: Rest assured that whichever quarterback the bumbling Browns take will be the wrong one. — Mike Bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Dolphins will draft Derwin James of FSU while Bucs and Jaguars will take ...?," 26 Apr. 2018 As a journalist and frequent talk show guest before that, he was seen by many critics as using a bumbling demeanor to mask a loose grip on facts. — Adam Taylor, Washington Post, "Britain’s Boris Johnson accused of misleading public over Skripal poisoning evidence," 4 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bumbling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
5 Words for Clumsy People
5 Words for Clumsy People
Just watch your step on the way in.
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Time Traveler for bumbling
The first known use of bumbling was in 1886
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