as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
my future father-in-law shook his head over my fumbled attempt to compliment his daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blew
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in looked
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 stumbled
to make a mistake
just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fumbled
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2025
Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
In the second inning, well before his ninth-inning blunder, Burger fumbled an infield pop-up from García with two outs.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
On Thursday, March 26, 2026, Tony Award nominee Christopher Jackson stepped up to the mic at Citi Field for the New York Mets’ opening night game — and fumbled one of the most iconic lines in the song.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The lawyer suggested the doctors at the Meadows fumbled Spacey’s treatment because their program was geared toward addiction.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
The Warriors had a chance to send the game to overtime on the final possession of regulation, but Post, who hit four 3s on the night, fumbled the catch and turned the ball over, leaving the Knicks with the ball as the shot clock expired.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
In a stunning blowout Friday night, KU fumbled its conference tournament semifinal against the Houston Cougars, losing 69-47.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
Their review centers on whether Gutierrez acted within his allowable discretion in concluding the jurors fumbled so badly their verdict had to be vacated.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
In the preseason opener, Mahomes was on the field for three snaps after the Chiefs recovered a fumbled kickoff to open the game.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Storm had the Inter&Co Stadium crowd of 11,127 people on their feet early after Columbus fumbled the opening kickoff and safety Josh Minkins jumped on it to give the Storm their initial possession inside the 30-yard line.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
In the second inning, well before his ninth-inning blunder, Burger fumbled an infield pop-up from García with two outs.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
On Thursday, March 26, 2026, Tony Award nominee Christopher Jackson stepped up to the mic at Citi Field for the New York Mets’ opening night game — and fumbled one of the most iconic lines in the song.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The lawyer suggested the doctors at the Meadows fumbled Spacey’s treatment because their program was geared toward addiction.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
The Warriors had a chance to send the game to overtime on the final possession of regulation, but Post, who hit four 3s on the night, fumbled the catch and turned the ball over, leaving the Knicks with the ball as the shot clock expired.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
In a stunning blowout Friday night, KU fumbled its conference tournament semifinal against the Houston Cougars, losing 69-47.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
Their review centers on whether Gutierrez acted within his allowable discretion in concluding the jurors fumbled so badly their verdict had to be vacated.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
Adjective
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But it’s played sincerely, so the visual contrast just makes the connection feel clumsy, if not outright absurd.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
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McGee meets one of a clumsy TURF intern Pete, who is revealed to be Olivia's 18-year-old son, Matteo (Patrick Keleher) under interrogation.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But few, if any, think about what the pain of losing a championship in October will feel, something Blue Jays manager John Schneider had to endure last season when his team blew a 3-2 series lead to the Dodgers.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Last year, Duke blew a 14-point lead to lose to Houston in the Final Four with Flagg and Knueppel.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Melvin—always the empath—looked ready to head home and cry.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The rest of them looked lost without him.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The nearest Portugal defender stumbled as the ball came to Pulisic just in front of the 6-yard box.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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James, the Army veteran from Phoenix, had stumbled across it one night last June, while his wife slept.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So Pakistan is already in an awkward position because the Saudis are being attacked.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Lock down the logistics first The fastest way to kill trip momentum is skipping the awkward conversations.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Critics also complain that Dodge, known for its muscle cars, muffed its transition to hybrid power systems.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
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But early in the second half, with the Seahawks leading 17-13, Smith muffed another kick and the Seahawks recovered the ball.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Day 1, the astronauts made it safely into Earth's orbit and the mission reached the end of its first major propulsion phase, NASA said.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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In 2025, the number of Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies reached 315, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.—
Kayla Steinberg,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Decades ago, Gambel’s quail were so numerous that residents tripped over them.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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