fumble

verb

fum·ble | \ ˈfəm-bəl

fumbled; fumbling\ ˈfəm-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of fumble

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to grope for or handle something clumsily or aimlessly

b : to make awkward attempts to do or find something fumbled in his pocket for a coin

c : to search by trial and error

d : blunder

2 : to feel one's way or move awkwardly

3a : to drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder

b : to lose hold of a football while handling or running with it

transitive verb

1 : to bring about by clumsy manipulation

2a : to feel or handle clumsily

b : to deal with in a blundering way : bungle

3 : to make (one's way) in a clumsy manner

4a : misplay fumble a grounder

b : to lose hold of (a football) while handling or running

fumble

noun

Definition of fumble (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of fumbling

2 : a fumbled ball

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Examples of fumble in a Sentence

Verb

She fumbled in her pocket for her keys. They fumbled a good opportunity to take control of the market. He was hit hard and fumbled on the 20-yard line. He fumbled the ball on the 20-yard line.

Noun

played the entire piano piece without a single fumble

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Getting them to do their own laundry is a good first step on the journey to independence, yet many parents fumble the handoff. — Mike Kerrigan, WSJ, "Cold Wash Espionage," 25 Feb. 2019 But they were rewarded for the wait when Scotland's Matt Fagerson fumbled the kick. — Glynn A. Hill, Houston Chronicle, "USA hangs on to defeat Scotland in rugby thriller," 17 June 2018 The only real scoring chance for either side came late in the game when Osceola’s punter fumbled a snap to set the Hornets up on the Kowboys’ 12-yard line. — Staff Report, OrlandoSentinel.com, "High school spring football 0-0 tie for Osceola-Bishop Moore, Foundation wins big," 17 May 2018 Even more of a problem: Wilson fumbled on two of those six sacks. — Seattle Times Sports Staff, The Seattle Times, "What the national media are saying about the Seahawks’ 0-2 start," 18 Sep. 2018 On the first play of the fourth quarter Banaszak fumbled after picking up 13 yards on a pass and Robinson recovered on the Oakland 40. — Bud Lea, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jan. 14, 1968: Packers rout Raiders to repeat as Super Bowl champions," 18 Jan. 2018 The winning field goal was set up by Kyle Williams’ fumble on a punt return. — Ed Barkowitz, Philly.com, "Why the Eagles shouldn't worry about the Minneapolis Miracle," 17 Jan. 2018 But Ben Roethlisberger threw three interceptions and fumbled twice, and Conner’s fumble in the fourth quarter helped the Browns rally. — Rob Maaddi, The Seattle Times, "Week 1 ICYMI: No loss for Browns, but no win either," 10 Sep. 2018 Dass dribbled a grounder down the foul line, only for the catcher to fumble the ball. — Sam Dodge, latimes.com, "Newport Beach PONY All-Stars advance to sectional championship," 8 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

From hosting woes to fumbles over award announcements at the 2019 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can’t seem to catch a break. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "Oscars 2019: Cast Your Ballot," 21 Feb. 2019 Griffin forced two fumbles during each of his junior and senior seasons for the Knights. — Marco Santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Tampa company brings on-demand home-service app to Orlando," 21 June 2018 The hope is that redshirt sophomores Ariel Ngata (11 tackles and one forced fumble in 12 games last season) and Joe Tryon (20 tackles, two TFL and one sack in 12 games) can elevate their play. — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "Spring practice primer: Eight (or more) breakout candidates for the UW Huskies," 27 Mar. 2019 Upshaw entered the league as a linebacker and played there for the Ravens while helping them win the Super Bowl in February 2013 by forcing a fumble that led to a touchdown drive. — baltimoresun.com, "Former Raven Courtney Upshaw signs with Jets after tryout," 14 June 2018 Frazier also forced a fumble and broke up three passes. — Michael Casagrande, AL.com, "D-lineman is 12th Alabama player drafted," 28 Apr. 2018 Returning All-America linebacker Devin White had five tackles, two for losses, while defensive end Breiden Fehoko had three tackles, a pair of sacks, and forced a fumble. — Ron Higgins, NOLA.com, "LSU's defense outshines offense in Saturday's football scrimmage," 7 Apr. 2018 Palmer believes that Darnold has corrected the turnover problem that plagued him at USC -- 22 interceptions and 21 fumbles in 27 starts. — Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com, "Sam Darnold visiting the Browns today as QB parade continues," 4 Apr. 2018 Now, the flip side to Darnold are the turnovers, and not just interceptions, but fumbles. — Paul Dehner Jr., Cincinnati.com, "Bengals mock draft: What does Cincinnati want to see happen in April?," 5 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fumble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.