as in humming
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 fumbling
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 stumbling
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 chatting
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bumbling
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
The Kings were booed off the floor Wednesday after bumbling their way through the team’s second-worst homestand of at least four games since February 2021.
—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
13 Nov. 2025
In true Reichardt fashion, the driving force of the film is not the crime itself, which takes place in bumbling fashion in the first third, but what happens afterward.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Stars from Christmas Vacation and the original National Lampoon's Vacation reunited at a panel at Chicago Fan Expo earlier this month, where Randy Quaid and Beverly D'Angelo both recalled the Fletch star's difficulties portraying bumbling patriarch Clark Griswold during the 1989 holiday sequel.
—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
Verb
Kevin's dream of being home alone quickly turns into a hilarious nightmare and battle of wits when a pair of bumbling thieves attempts to break into his house.
—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
The Kings were booed off the floor Wednesday after bumbling their way through the team’s second-worst homestand of at least four games since February 2021.
—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
13 Nov. 2025
In true Reichardt fashion, the driving force of the film is not the crime itself, which takes place in bumbling fashion in the first third, but what happens afterward.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Stars from Christmas Vacation and the original National Lampoon's Vacation reunited at a panel at Chicago Fan Expo earlier this month, where Randy Quaid and Beverly D'Angelo both recalled the Fletch star's difficulties portraying bumbling patriarch Clark Griswold during the 1989 holiday sequel.
—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbling
Verb
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There is something to be said about coaches who take over for successful predecessors and keep the thing humming, because that doesn't always tend to be the case.
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As his family and doctors exited the room, the humming machine lowered a ring around his body.
Verb
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My first few hours with the EM11 NL were marked by overshooting links, fumbling through simple selections, and occasionally wondering why anyone would voluntarily use a vertical mouse.
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Bennett is concerned, for instance, that Hong could win her primary and then be defeated in November by Republican Tom Tiffany, fumbling the governorship of a swing state into the hands of a far-right Freedom Caucus member who dabbled in 2020 election conspiracy theories.
Verb
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Gane finished off Pereira in the second round to win the title on Sunday after sending him stumbling with a right jab followed by a hammer fist.
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But stumbling into a town with a visual landscape that still shows Guedes' thumbprint was a delight.
Verb
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While chatting with Craig Melvin during a June 19 appearance on the Today show, the TV icon paused her interview to smack the anchor after a bold request.
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Within minutes, the men, who ranged in age from 30 to 60, began chatting among themselves.
Verb
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The Great Hall at the CBS Philadelphia studios was buzzing all day as an army of volunteers took donations and honored the memory of Alex Scott, the little girl who started it all.
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On Thursday, business was buzzing, perhaps partly because Brittany Mahomes, spouse of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, shared the post on her Instagram page.
Verb
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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden.
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And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step.
Verb
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The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country’s struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.
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The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country's struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.
Verb
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If chewed or ingested, some of these products can cause drooling, stomach upset, and other signs of toxicity in pets.
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This pitching matchup will have the purists drooling.
Cite this Entry
“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbling. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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