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
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Recent Examples of fumble
Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
But several shifts in this year’s edition point to a fair still refining its identity as Paris consolidates its position as Europe’s dominant art market hub after London’s Brexit fumble.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 May 2026
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
Barry Pearl's fumble became a memorable insult for fans of the 1978 movie musical.
—Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
But several shifts in this year’s edition point to a fair still refining its identity as Paris consolidates its position as Europe’s dominant art market hub after London’s Brexit fumble.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 May 2026
Verb
Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
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Ahead, cleaning expert Sofia Martinez, CEO and cleaning expert at Sparkly Maid Austin, and Lea Grandin, social media manager and content creator at AspenClean, explain how to use vinegar to clean your oven, plus the common mistakes to avoid.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
-
Young people make destructive mistakes and deserve a path back.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
Verb
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In the Bay Area, fire and police departments in San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco have blown past their overtime budgets by tens of millions of dollars in recent years.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
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Each basket drew a huge applause from the championship-hungry Garden crowd, including his slam in the final minutes of the first half after blowing by unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victory Wembanyama.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The challenge required the men to handcuff themselves to the bed while the women, in blindfolds, groped around in the dark, attempting to find their couple and handcuff themselves to him.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
9 June 2026
-
The abuse included groping and fondling of the students' genitals and other acts under the guise of a medical examination.—
Jasper Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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The memorial effort dragged for years as the private onePulse Foundation, originally tasked to create it, stumbled and then collapsed amid excessive ambition that produced a plan for a $100 million memorial and museum the group had no ability to fund.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Read on to see the beauty blunders, silly styling and overall head-to-toe outfits that these stars regret.—
Tanisha Bhat,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
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The base-running blunder by Alcántara, a prospect acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade with the New York Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, is just one example of how this team is pressing.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
8 June 2026
Verb
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If not for Kevin Orie’s failure to glove a Ricky Gutierrez grounder leading off the third, which was ruled a hit, Wood might have had a no-hitter to boot.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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Charter Communications , Cognizant Technology Solutions , Insmed , Verisk and Zscaler are the companies being booted from the index.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Chestnuts bloom in these graceful, long pine-tree shapes, which look like a symbol of something.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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The unlikely tourist attraction was inspired 73 years ago, when a farmer looked at the twine littering the floor of his barn.—
Staff,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Other common soccer penalties include tripping, kicking, holding or pulling jerseys, pushing or charging players, and dangerous plays like high kicks or kicking near another player's head.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Britain’s Katie Boulter and Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez tripped over Lacoste signs during their early round matches.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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