as in to buzz
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
a fly bumbling around the room while we were trying to sleep
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1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
accused the White House staff of bumbling the announcement of the replacement for the cabinet post
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
I sort of bumbled through the dance number, hoping that it would soon end
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3
as in to chat
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bumble
Sam Eagan, New Yorker, 29 July 2025
There, Remy helps bumbling kitchen worker Alfredo Linguini cook a series of increasingly delectable dishes that soon attract the attention of the city’s most finicky restaurant critic, Anton Ego.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
The cosmic hobo bumbled his way across the universe facing Daleks, and Cybermen, as well as the Great Intelligence, and Ice Warriors.
12.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 May 2025
The Dodgers have bumbled their way through these past two games, in which the teams combined for 34 runs.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumble
Verb
Local fighters hit pads with their coaches; the sound of fist against foam thundered through the room, while bumbling preschoolers, drowning in their uniforms, somersaulted across a mat.
—Sam Eagan, New Yorker, 29 July 2025
There, Remy helps bumbling kitchen worker Alfredo Linguini cook a series of increasingly delectable dishes that soon attract the attention of the city’s most finicky restaurant critic, Anton Ego.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
The cosmic hobo bumbled his way across the universe facing Daleks, and Cybermen, as well as the Great Intelligence, and Ice Warriors.
12.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 May 2025
The Dodgers have bumbled their way through these past two games, in which the teams combined for 34 runs.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumble
Cite this Entry
“Bumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumble. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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