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
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Recent Examples of fumble
José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Maye lost the football for a second fumble in the game.
—February 9, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Kennedy French, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
When Kahn fumbled Rivaldo’s shot from the edge of the box, Ronaldo was on hand to convert the rebound.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
Ware, Dallas’ franchise leader in sacks, forced fumbles and tackles for loss, spent nine seasons with the Cowboys, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and four All-Pro selections.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Maye lost the football for a second fumble in the game.
—February 9, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Though the darkness of the material never swamps the comedy, a balance McGee calibrated deliberately — less interested in the whodunit than in the women fumbling through it.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
When Kahn fumbled Rivaldo’s shot from the edge of the box, Ronaldo was on hand to convert the rebound.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
Yet another defensive mistake by Baylor opened the door for the Longhorns to add on.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Find the groups without making four mistakes.—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After blowing a three-run lead, Harvard-Westlake still came out on top with a 4-3 victory over Huntington Beach on Tuesday when Ethan Price delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Since that point, the price of the precious metal has blown past $5,000, set several new all-time highs and handed investors more than 100% returns in a single year.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The woman was apparently unconscious as Gilpin tried to kiss her and groped her inside of her clothing, the complaint said.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
-
During one of the shootings, Sheriff Shittu, a 30-year-old aspiring fashion designer, was fatally shot in the head following a tussle with a drunk patron who had groped his girlfriend earlier in the night.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar stumbled, springing a 2-on-1 break with Boldy feeding a cross-ice pass to Marcus Johansson, whose wrist shot hit the left post, then got a piece of the goalie before a Colorado defender swatted it away from the goalmouth.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 Feb. 2026
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Surveillance video from that night shows a man wearing a Blackhawks jersey entering the store, then stumbling out before a struggle spilled into the street.—
Darius Johnson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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With Israel’s borderlands in ruins and hundreds of its citizens taken hostage, the country’s voters could no longer countenance their leader’s quietism, which now looked like a historic blunder.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
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In the experiments, observers consistently judged everyday blunders to be relatively harmless, even when the person committing them appeared mortified.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Voters booted two Republican incumbents off the Georgia commission in November amid complaints about rising bills.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The backlash to Spyglass’ decision to boot Barrera from the franchise was swift, with free-speech advocates and pro-Palestine activists condemning the studio.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Investigators are also looking into the man’s criminal history and his mental health status, source said.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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Time magazine’s Nik Popli looked closely at how Talarico and Crockett were working to convert their online followings into votes and good news cycles.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Raiders’ good fortunes went south as the referee called two controversial penalty kicks for tripping, and Ricky Kase converted — one in the 32nd minute and the other in the 64th — allowing the Seahawks to tie the game.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
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The goal was ill-gotten, as the officials missed Perfetti tripping Mason McTavish, a play that led directly to the scoring sequence.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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