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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bobbling
First baseman Carlos Santana dived toward the foul line and stopped the ball before bobbling it, allowing Rojas to score from third and extend the Dodgers' lead to 4-2.
—
CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Mara also doesn’t have great hands around the rim and has a penchant for bobbling the ball instead of catching it immediately.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
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 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
CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Mara also doesn’t have great hands around the rim and has a penchant for bobbling the ball instead of catching it immediately.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
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 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
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With the title in their grasp, the Ducks have greased up their fingers, fumbling into a four-game winless slump.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
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Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The walk, which made the woodcock a viral hit on social media, consists of the bird shimmying and bobbing its head.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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That sketch spawned the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury, and the car-bobbing scene became one of the internet’s earliest viral memes.—
Ryan Brennan
April 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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The city did not adopt its own grocery tax to replace it, blowing a roughly $80 million hole in its budget.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dinner is focused around a large wood burning oven, putting out deliciously charred meats and veggies, and there’s a vibrant after-work drinks scene that always has this place pumping.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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Two days after that, the agency greenlit Kaskida, a new five-billion-dollar ultra-deep drilling project southwest of New Orleans, which could start pumping eighty thousand barrels of oil a day as early as 2029.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.—
Gerry Doyle,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bobbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bobbling. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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