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
Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
The Chiefs lost just three fumbles a year ago and that tied for the fewest in the NFL.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
And there’s no wiggle room for Miami to fumble two games against Washington and one on Sunday at Indiana, where the Heat was demolished earlier this season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
The touchdown was reversed, the play was ruled a fumble, and the Titans proceeded to pull off an improbable 16-point comeback to win the game.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
The Chiefs lost just three fumbles a year ago and that tied for the fewest in the NFL.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
And there’s no wiggle room for Miami to fumble two games against Washington and one on Sunday at Indiana, where the Heat was demolished earlier this season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
However, this approach is a mistake.—
Kat Tretina,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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But fans, players and teams have grown less patient with mistakes that technology can easily fix.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pitchers and batters are both worse than a coin-flip at issuing challenges – blown calls in a matter of seconds.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two more women said staff members groped them or touched them inappropriately.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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Cannon starred in a production of Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013 and claims Spacey groped him at a party after the play’s press night.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans stumbled off the mound in the first inning of Friday evening’s season opener at Truist Park.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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Bleeding heavily, Waaler stumbles into a corridor and slowly takes his last breath as Hole, who jumped out at the floor above and ran back downstairs, watches, gun in hand.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Milwaukee challenged the play, and the replay clearly showed Bauers stepped on first, causing another blunder for Bucknor.—
Jason Ounpraseuth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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In the second inning, well before his ninth-inning blunder, Burger fumbled an infield pop-up from García with two outs.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Red Sox proved us right by punching their ticket for the first time since 2021, and then getting booted out by the Yankees in the first round.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
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But Subrav Pokhrel showed up in the nick of time for the Owls to boot the ball clear and end the rush.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The coach often looks at those basketball stickers affixed over a block M at each player's locker.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Niche looked at suburban cities and towns as well as neighborhoods in big metro areas like Charlotte.—
Chase Jordan
March 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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The unwanted genetic material vanishes without a trace, which is what kept tripping scientists up for decades.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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