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
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 June 2025
Yeah, but still... Yamamoto had his second-worst stinker as a Dodger, surpassed by only his fumble of the division series opener last season against the Padres.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
George Ramsay, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones — Jones came up in the discussion about fumbling, but that will not stop him from being the leading backfield producer for the Vikings.
—Jake Ciely, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
That was the third-highest individual total the Broncos allowed on the season, trailing only Jonathan Taylor’s 107 — plus one massive, game-altering fumble — in Week 15 for Indianapolis and Kenneth Walker’s 103 for Seattle in Week 1.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 June 2025
Yeah, but still... Yamamoto had his second-worst stinker as a Dodger, surpassed by only his fumble of the division series opener last season against the Padres.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
Verb
United goalkeeper Altay Bayındır fumbled the ball on the edge of his area, allowing Villa forward Morgan Rogers to take possession and put the ball into the net.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones — Jones came up in the discussion about fumbling, but that will not stop him from being the leading backfield producer for the Vikings.
—Jake Ciely, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
Jumping onto Andrew Cuomo’s leaky ship was a devastating mistake for the pro-Israel movement.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
27 June 2025
-
My family has a history of a lot of the same mistakes, especially among the men.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
27 June 2025
Verb
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That connection and warmth was obvious on Friday night, with Cardi blowing past her bedtime to give the gays, the dolls and everyone else an experience beyond what any other NYC festival provides.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
28 June 2025
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One of the grants in the FEMA program that blew past its deadline for opening applications pays half of his salary.—
Jennifer Berry Hawes,
ProPublica,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Twenty men involved with the theater accused Spacey of groping and behaving inappropriately.—
Leila Jordan,
IndieWire,
23 June 2025
-
The actor later claims that Perry choked him at one point in March 2020, and that the mogul groped his buttocks in a trailer on the set of The Oval later that year.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
After making it around the corner of a nearby Taco Bell, Muller appears to stumble, the footage shows.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2025
-
Astronomers studying a distant galaxy cluster stumbled upon ancient radio signals that might hold clues to the formation of the early universe.—
Nick Butler,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
Even with good intentions, these salon blunders are better avoided, according to experts.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
19 June 2025
-
Other big moments in Trump’s presidency include the leak of U.S. military attack plans to Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, what was widely considered to be the first major blunder of his second term.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
Andy Pages also booted a ball in center field during a four-run rally from the Royals (39-44) in the fifth, an inning that was punctuated by a three-run, two-out homer from Pasquantino to center.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Trump fired previous special counsel Hampton Dellinger, despite his Senate confirmation to a five-year term, amid his battle to restore fired federal workers to their posts after the Trump administration booted federal workers still in their probationary period.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Needless to say, the Sox entered Saturday looking for a lengthy outing from starter Aaron Civale.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
-
In that situation Powell has said that officials will look at which metric is further from target in determining policy.—
Simon Moore,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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The union had earlier brought up the risks associated with the protective platforms after another visitor tripped over one, causing no damage.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
25 June 2025
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In Death Stranding 2, players control a courier who trips over rocks, experiences sunburn, and faces his own possible obsolescence.—
Simon Parkin,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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