as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Omar Kelly
may 1, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Moments like a crazy fumble by running back Jashaun Corbin after his longest carry of the first half of seven yards.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
As print and television media fumbled their way online, Gawker used the internet to pull back the curtain on celebrity, mainstream media, politics and creeping commercialism.
—Frank Digiacomo, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
Robinson has contributed 47 tackles, 10 sacks and forced one fumble in his first two seasons.
—Omar Kelly
may 1, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Moments like a crazy fumble by running back Jashaun Corbin after his longest carry of the first half of seven yards.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
But Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace hit three-pointers while Smart was fumbling the ball and James and Hachimura were missing shots, while an Oklahoma City 8-0 run eventually gave them another 13-point lead that was never again challenged.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
As print and television media fumbled their way online, Gawker used the internet to pull back the curtain on celebrity, mainstream media, politics and creeping commercialism.
—Frank Digiacomo, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
Make no mistake, so are all Jews as a people.—
Samuel S. Flax,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
-
Some travelers argued Carnival should honor the bookings despite the apparent pricing mistake.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Interestingly, the blowing agent is derived from oyster shells discarded by the seafood industry, and the magnesium and calcium are sourced as natural byproducts of seawater desalination.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
-
Arizona had already established a commanding 7-2 lead going into the fourth inning, but the Diamondbacks blew the doors open by putting up a five-spot to take a 10-run lead.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Once in the pool, the man grabbed and groped the girl, police said.—
Larry Seward,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
-
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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In contrast, André Burakovsky and Artyom Levshunov stumbled through forgettable seasons.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Teenage girls, battered in the storm after Joplin High School’s graduation, stumble and limp toward the hospital in pretty summer dresses soaked in blood.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The Royals made two critical such blunders in a 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
-
Delinquent financing, lawsuits, project delays, construction blunders and defects, evidence that some workers were forced to live in an East Bay warehouse, allegations of slave labor, and a death haunted the property while Z&L owned it.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
By force-skipping this instruction, the smartcard booted again.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2026
-
The stunning outcome caps a career like few others and shows the extent of the president’s ability to badger, badmouth and eventually boot out his political adversaries — and that no lawmaker is apparently safe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Verb
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But the companies are now looking increasingly to expand the market for weight-loss drugs that have revolutionized the pharmaceutical space in recent years.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
The 76ers looked tired, injured and shallow, relying on only six guys for most of a short series.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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But in the dark, Yara was just trying their best not to trip over young clumps of prickly pear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Perhaps the best signal for how tech platforms have taken over the TV-ad world can be seen with ad sales executives from traditional entertainment companies tripping over themselves to tout their advanced data, their new agentic ad buying tools, and other advanced ad tech.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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