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
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025
Arrington is a two-way player at Mount Miguel, catching 31 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns last season while registering 26 tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble as a cornerback.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
Craft’s ground-ball to shortstop was fumbled to put runners on the corners, and Bedford elected to walk Moquin.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
One time as a junior, Turk tackled the running back and the quarterback and forced a fumble in the same play.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025
Arrington is a two-way player at Mount Miguel, catching 31 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns last season while registering 26 tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble as a cornerback.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Verb
The design shines when players are under duress; fumbling to properly string together prompts for just one more clip of ammo as an enemy’s footsteps loom closer can be riveting.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
Craft’s ground-ball to shortstop was fumbled to put runners on the corners, and Bedford elected to walk Moquin.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
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My family has a history of a lot of the same mistakes, especially among the men.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
27 June 2025
-
Jumping onto Andrew Cuomo’s leaky ship was a devastating mistake for the pro-Israel movement.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
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
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In September, he was accused of groping the butts of at least three different women and a 15-year-old girl at locations in Westwood and Delhi Township.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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He’s accused of groping and mugging a 36-year-old woman.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández made run-scoring defensive blunders in the outfield.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Whereas the Pacers had their lowest giveaway total of the championship round in Game 6, OKC had its highest turnover game of the playoffs, with 23 blunders leading to 32 Indiana points.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
20 June 2025
Verb
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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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Meanwhile…things haven’t looked so good for Starbucks in China recently, and not just because its baristas can’t spell names in Chinese characters, either.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
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In each case, the new teams will look to leverage infrastructure from existing NBA clubs to quickly build lines of revenue.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
1 July 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 9 Jul. 2025.
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