bumbles 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of bumble
as in hums
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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bumbles

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of bumble
1
as in fumbles
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 stumbles
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 sputters
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbles
  1. hums
  2. fumbles
  3. stumbles
  4. sputters
  5. buzzes
  6. blows
  7. struggles
  8. chats
Verb
  • This deck area positively hums with IG brunch-scene potential.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 June 2026
  • To prevent its data centers from overheating, SpaceX plans to adopt liquid cooling, but not the kind that hums inside your desktop PC.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 June 2026
Definition of hums
Verb
  • Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 May 2026
  • The movie fumbles the chance to do something arresting with this seminal period in art.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 May 2026
Definition of fumbles
Verb
  • In the first, a quick history tour revisits how bad Minions have been in their quest to find villains to serve, until one group lands in 1920s Hollywood and stumbles into stardom.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 7 July 2026
  • After a chance meeting saving the life of a reporter, Dez stumbles across a vast conspiracy and now must stop the forces intent on keeping their secrets safe.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • But for ordinary Americans, for those of us without fame, wealth, or connections, the machinery of justice often sputters.
    — Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
  • This will be a close game while the Eagles offense sputters against the Seahawks defense, and the offense hears a few boos in the second half.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Definition of sputters
Verb
  • Your phone buzzes in your pocket.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
  • Every once in a while, a player buzzes in with an answer that truly catches fans off-guard.
    — Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
Definition of buzzes
Verb
  • Nico offers cocaine to calm her nerves and crudely propositions her, at which point Cassie raises the alarm and blows Miles’ cover.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 July 2026
  • Russia and Ukraine traded blows from the sky, each looking to claim the upper hand on the eve of a key NATO summit.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • Charles builds their cabin with help from a kind widower and Civil War veteran, John Edwards (Warren Christie), who struggles with alcohol; Edwards’ sometime companion (Rebecca Amzallag) is a fiercely independent bar owner.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026
  • Her performance as Jovie, the department store employee who struggles to get into the Yuletide frame of mind, was her big break.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 July 2026
Definition of struggles
Verb
  • Some of the German Telegram chats date back to at least 2020, court documents show.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
  • Dwayne Johnson chats all things Moana during a special Q&A to promote the live-action film in Rio De Janeiro July 2.
    — Brendan Le Updated, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of chats
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.

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bumblers
bumbles
bumbling
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Cite this Entry

“Bumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbles. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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