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
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
Hart opened the night by chesting up Johnson and forcing a fumble out of bounds.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 21 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
Had five interceptions for the Rockets over the past three seasons and also forced eight fumbles, including four in 2023 and three last year.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
Hart opened the night by chesting up Johnson and forcing a fumble out of bounds.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 21 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
-
Both Velez and Farbstein gave me the 411 on what traveler mistakes can back up the security line.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
The third mistake is using wine that is not cold enough.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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But second-year point guard Carla Leite, who had hurt her ankle earlier in the evening, blew by Jones in isolation to tie the score 96-96 with 27 seconds to play.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 May 2026
Verb
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At a later date, the victim, whom police interviewed, gave Wright a hug in his classroom, and Wright kissed and groped the minor, investigators say.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
13 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 other words, voters didn’t accidentally stumble into supporting term limits.—
Jovani Patterson,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
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The Bucs gave up nearly 26 points per game in the final two months of the season while stumbling to a 2-7 finish.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
For the game, for the third straight game, the Lakers made bunches of mistakes that became bunches of baskets, this time 17 blunders that became 30 Oklahoma City points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
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In a recent tactical blunder, the first lady’s farcical rollout of a teacher robot made unusually clear what this administration really thinks of children, teachers and schools.—
Randi Weingarten,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
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One way is to boot into Windows, hold down the [Shift] key, click on the power icon, and click restart.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
14 May 2026
-
Last season, down by a touchdown, quarterback Justin Herbert marched the team on a game-tying drive before Cameron Dicker booted a 43-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
14 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
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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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Here, the feel is of a car-free village where guests and day-tripping locals can mingle over pétanque games, art galleries, and craft workshops, casual and fine dining cuisine, and rejuvenating sessions in the spa’s Iyashi Dôme.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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Slipping in a grocery store or tripping in a hotel lobby is bad enough on its own.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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