1
as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the first baseman bobbled the catch, so the runner was safe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bobbling
The two-point attempt went horribly with Judkins bobbling the snap and ultimately throwing it into no-man’s land.
—
Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
After bobbling the snap, Rodgers eventually picked up the bouncing ball, broke several tackles, started running backward to avoid the pressure, eventually rolled out and threw the ball on the move to a wide-open receiver in the end zone.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
After bobbling Wilyer Abreu’s fourth-inning fly ball over the right field fence for a two-run home run, Myers came back to tie the game with a solo shot off Greg Weissert in the top of the ninth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
After bobbling the snap, Rodgers eventually picked up the bouncing ball, broke several tackles, started running backward to avoid the pressure, eventually rolled out and threw the ball on the move to a wide-open receiver in the end zone.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
After bobbling Wilyer Abreu’s fourth-inning fly ball over the right field fence for a two-run home run, Myers came back to tie the game with a solo shot off Greg Weissert in the top of the ninth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bobbling
Verb
-
Yet, as any visitor stalled in traffic or fumbling for cash to top up a transit card discovers, the old Seoul persists beneath the new.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
What to know about the Patriots-Texans game Despite three turnovers and Drake Maye fumbling four times, the Patriots held on to beat the Houston Texans, 28-16.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Meeks and cinematographer Stefan Weinberger pay special attention to the region’s natural beauty, repeating a single shot of a car bobbing over a two-lane highway amid vibrant green hills.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Still, the infant’s head can be seen bobbing up and down.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, California continued blowing money on a high-speed rail project that is years behind schedule and billions over budget, was bilked for billions in fraud, and funded an anti-homelessness bureaucracy with no accountability, among other things.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The idea is not only to speed up the time for AI systems to respond, but also to enable larger context windows, add quality checks on answers and keep AI features turned on for more users without blowing past budgets.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Your adrenaline’s pumping [after] being out for a while.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Lavrenov is still pumping his fist and yelling to no one in particular after an inspired play because of what the sport means to him.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
While Bryant was able to come from behind, the Lady Hornets had a hard time shaking off the Lady Warriors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bobbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bobbling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
