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
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
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
Given how badly Karen Bass has fumbled as mayor, Raman couldn’t do much worse.
—Sal Rodriguez, Daily News, 28 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
During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
Given how badly Karen Bass has fumbled as mayor, Raman couldn’t do much worse.
—Sal Rodriguez, Daily News, 28 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
-
Referee Nicolae Rainea blows his whistle.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Imagine a world where the weather forecast calls for winds blowing at 11,000 miles per hour (18,000 kilometers per hour) and nighttime showers of liquid metal, rubies and sapphires.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Men gathered at village auctions to grope and prod Black people; the shapes of their muscles and strength of their teeth determined their value, babies included.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
In a 55-page complaint, the singer alleged the music mogul had groped her on numerous occasions, once trapped her inside a locked car for two hours as a form of punishment, and threatened her life.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
15 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
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For Meta, the problem started with what some industry experts called, in hindsight at least, a strategic blunder.—
Jonathan Vanian,Julia Boorstin,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
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The Spurs fared well in the closing minute, aside from Fox’s blunder, but the attrition from the Knicks offense spreading them out did them in well before then.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
13 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
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Just look at the initial whitewash of the Watergate scandal at Richard Nixon's library and the minimal account at Bill Clinton's library of his impeachment.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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Dive and swiftwater rescue teams are in the water in Libertyville looking for someone who may have vanished in the Des Plaines River.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Unfortunately, that last part seems to trip some people up.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Germany was awarded the penalty shot after Felix Nmecha was tripped in the box by Riechedly Bazoer.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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