as in hummed
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
a fly bumbling around the room while we were trying to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in fumbled
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
I sort of bumbled through the dance number, hoping that it would soon end
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in chatted
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bumbled
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
After the Knicks bumbled away Game 1 and eventually lost the series in six contests, New York fired former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau after five largely successful seasons.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
The same year that Zipf secured his measure of posthumous fame, Harvard’s football team bumbled its way to a 1-8 record.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Which is a shame because Cuoco’s chemistry with on-screen husband Chris Messina was entertaining, especially as the couple bumbled their way through the true crime craze comedy.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
As the Rockies bumbled through the 2025 season, The Athletic asked rival executives about hypothetical ways to fix the franchise.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
After the Knicks bumbled away Game 1 and eventually lost the series in six contests, New York fired former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau after five largely successful seasons.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
The same year that Zipf secured his measure of posthumous fame, Harvard’s football team bumbled its way to a 1-8 record.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Which is a shame because Cuoco’s chemistry with on-screen husband Chris Messina was entertaining, especially as the couple bumbled their way through the true crime craze comedy.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbled
Verb
-
Five racks of computer servers hummed in a futuristic yet industrial-looking classroom at Atlanta Technical College, south of downtown.—
Mirtha Donastorg,
AJC.com,
26 May 2026
-
Ventilators hummed in an intensive care unit.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Before that, when the Jets could have taken the lead on their opening drive, Allen fumbled on the Dolphins’ 1-yard line.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
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The Spurs had one more chance, but Stephon Castle fumbled the inbounds pass and pandemonium at Madison Square Garden followed.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Because the 59-year-old MAGA actor has stumbled into a debate that’s been vexing DC fans for more than six decades.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
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The memorial effort dragged for years as the private onePulse Foundation, originally tasked to create it, stumbled and then collapsed amid excessive ambition that produced a plan for a $100 million memorial and museum the group had no ability to fund.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Carole and Alizée also attended Ascot that day, where Carole chatted with Prince William and King Charles in the Royal Box.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
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While neither party has publicly chatted about the breakup, their proxies can talk.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The stands of the soccer stadium buzzed with anticipation.—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
-
All 10, minus goalkeeper Matt Freese, buzzed around SoFi Stadium’s temporary grass.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Once the opening whistle blew, all the focus turned to the field.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
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After someone blew a hole in the Nord Stream Pipeline deep under the Baltic Sea in September 2022, the global media debated a geopolitical whodunnit.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Once her shots started to fall, the Sparks struggled to contain her.—
Jordan Puente,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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The group struggled to find relevance in the aftermath of Kath’s death, largely thanks to shifting musical tastes.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Whereas the World Cup has long given way to the phenomenon of the English World Cup hype anthem (of these, New Order’s 1990 banger World in Motion is arguably the most listenable outside the context of the actual event), the tradition seems to have sputtered out.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 June 2026
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The tandem of Towns, Bridges and Hart started the matchup with much better percentages before the offense sputtered down the stretch of Game 3.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbled. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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