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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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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Examples of bumble in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Travis Bean, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
The story bumbles from one thing to another before lurching toward an ending, with Xavier suddenly considering the prospect that he’s had enough.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
What is clear is that Amrit is deemed unworthy of Tulika’s love because of his station, and that the bumbling family of bandits who storm the Rajdhani Express belong to an even lower caste.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 3 July 2024
But he almost wasn’t cast in the role of Marv, the gangly, bumbling sidekick to Joe Pesci’s Harry.
—Scarlett Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bumble 
Verb
The files end up in the hands of two bumbling gym employees, Linda and Chad, who mistake them for top-secret government documents.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
The story bumbles from one thing to another before lurching toward an ending, with Xavier suddenly considering the prospect that he’s had enough.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
What is clear is that Amrit is deemed unworthy of Tulika’s love because of his station, and that the bumbling family of bandits who storm the Rajdhani Express belong to an even lower caste.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 3 July 2024
But he almost wasn’t cast in the role of Marv, the gangly, bumbling sidekick to Joe Pesci’s Harry.
—Scarlett Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bumble
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumble. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
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