1
as in fumbling
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 stumbling
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 flubbing
Simeon Cottle, the leading scorer for Kennesaw State men’s basketball, stands accused of intentionally flubbing his performance in a March 1, 2024, game against Queens University.
—
Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Filmmaking is flubbing the catch, and sometimes knowing the fool that's to blame is yourself.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
David Jiricek made what could have been a costly turnover in his own zone in the first period, flubbing a touch-pass into his own slot, but Robert Thomas couldn’t convert as Gustavsson steered him aside.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Filmmaking is flubbing the catch, and sometimes knowing the fool that's to blame is yourself.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
David Jiricek made what could have been a costly turnover in his own zone in the first period, flubbing a touch-pass into his own slot, but Robert Thomas couldn’t convert as Gustavsson steered him aside.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flubbing
Verb
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Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
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Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Occasionally, King’s assistants, a pair of bulky guys with law-enforcement backgrounds, offered the stumbling line a corrective shove.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Ducks started their trip up five points on Connor McDavid and company, but held just a three-point edge after stumbling 4-2 on Saturday.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Field of 68 pointed out that each of Duke's last four NCAA Tournament losses came by blowing a double-digit lead.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But there were too many moments early in the game in which the Illini looked out of control, badly missing shots, tripping on their drives.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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The unwanted genetic material vanishes without a trace, which is what kept tripping scientists up for decades.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a federal lawsuit filed this month seeking millions in damages, Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, accused Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi of intentionally botching the translation of the lyrics, central to both the Disney films and the musical theater adaptations.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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Continue reading … RINSE AND REPEAT — CNN slammed for third time for botching NYC terrorist attack coverage.—
,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flubbing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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