1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
added too much flour and flubbed the gravy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
to make a mistake
at some point in your training you're going to flub, so don't let it rattle you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flubbed
The Ducks equalized when Andrew Mangiapane flubbed a sterling opportunity at one end and Sennecke created one at the other.
—
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
The newspaper industry, again and again, has flubbed its chance to propel itself into the future.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The comedian eventually flubbed a line and broke into laughter while performing the sketch on live TV.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
The Padres added a run against Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen in the fifth when Machado walked, Bogaerts volleyed his second single into right field, Sheets reached on a fielder’s choice in which the Diamondbacks flubbed a catch and Jake Cronenworth walked.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Just as Alexis Bellino flubbed her second chance by aligning herself too closely with Johnny J, an Ed Hardy snapback that refuses to die, Gretchen is ruining hers by trying to relitigate things from the Obama Administration.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
The newspaper industry, again and again, has flubbed its chance to propel itself into the future.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The comedian eventually flubbed a line and broke into laughter while performing the sketch on live TV.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
The Padres added a run against Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen in the fifth when Machado walked, Bogaerts volleyed his second single into right field, Sheets reached on a fielder’s choice in which the Diamondbacks flubbed a catch and Jake Cronenworth walked.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Just as Alexis Bellino flubbed her second chance by aligning herself too closely with Johnny J, an Ed Hardy snapback that refuses to die, Gretchen is ruining hers by trying to relitigate things from the Obama Administration.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flubbed
Verb
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The Storm had the Inter&Co Stadium crowd of 11,127 people on their feet early after Columbus fumbled the opening kickoff and safety Josh Minkins jumped on it to give the Storm their initial possession inside the 30-yard line.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The nearest Portugal defender stumbled as the ball came to Pulisic just in front of the 6-yard box.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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James, the Army veteran from Phoenix, had stumbled across it one night last June, while his wife slept.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But few, if any, think about what the pain of losing a championship in October will feel, something Blue Jays manager John Schneider had to endure last season when his team blew a 3-2 series lead to the Dodgers.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Last year, Duke blew a 14-point lead to lose to Houston in the Final Four with Flagg and Knueppel.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Decades ago, Gambel’s quail were so numerous that residents tripped over them.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The growing political noise raises questions about whether Netflix, which has had one of the cleanest business strategies and investment stories in media, blundered into its first big M&A swing.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flubbed. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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