as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
her assistant fumbled the party plans by getting the time wrong on the invitations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grope
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
the librarian fumbled for the light switch as she entered the dark room
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of fumble
Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Robinson has contributed 47 tackles, 10 sacks and forced one fumble in his first two seasons.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
There’s a time and place for trying to force fumbles.
—Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Robinson has contributed 47 tackles, 10 sacks and forced one fumble in his first two seasons.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Cameron Boozer answered with a bucket to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to three points, only for Duke to fumble the game away.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
And it's allowed for a lot of mistakes.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2026
-
In some cases, that décor mistake can inadvertently make a space feel cluttered.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Duke would make the 2025 Final Four before blowing a lead and getting upset by Houston in the national semifinal.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and the Los Angeles Clippers recovered after blowing a 23-point lead to beat rookie Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks 116-103 on Tuesday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since Busfield's arrest, at least four women have told police that the Emmy Award-winning actor and director groped their breasts and genitals and forced himself on them, dating from 1993 to 2000.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Louise got out of bed, groped her way across the dark room, found her phone tethered to the charger, then scrolled back through her photos to find the grainy twenty-seven-second video of the ants.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The show follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan Dardano (Taylor Ortega), a pastor-and-teacher sibling duo from New Jersey who stumble into organized crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a postal store to bury with their dying grandmother.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
-
When a character speaks English, an accent is employed and the manner is often a bit stumbling.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Matt Chapman hit a two-run triple in the third, one night after his baserunning blunder cost San Francisco, and Heliot Ramos added an RBI single against Painter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Long before Bill de Blasio’s culinary blunder, RFK embarrassingly asked for a fork to eat a New York slice.—
Lincoln Anderson,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Kumar developed a fever, and the driver booted him off.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Turner booted a sure double-play ball in the fifth inning.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Consider this your cue to stock up on easy, timeless staples that always look put-together.—
Taylor Jean Stephan,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
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In the courtroom, Alfortish’s face looked gaunt after spending roughly a year in prison, and his hair, thinning now, had gone white.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Depending on your space, make sure each seat has an easy entry and exit in the furniture grouping to avoid tripping or crowding.—
Jessica Bennett,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Apr. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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