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
Jesse Granger, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The result leaves nearly every performer fumbling for traction in Serkis and Stoller’s muddy-yet-gutless cinematic sty.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 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
First MacKenzie Weegar fumbled the puck straight to Jack Eichel for a breakaway.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The result leaves nearly every performer fumbling for traction in Serkis and Stoller’s muddy-yet-gutless cinematic sty.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
Kreider made no mistake hammering the puck past Hart from the low slot.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
-
That will also be a huge difference from the Orbán regime, when there was no responsibility or consequences of any crime, any political mistake.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Anika Reed Latin music superstar Maluma opted for a dapper Tom Ford suit with his hair slicked back into a bun, blowing USA TODAY a kiss before exiting the carpet.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
5 May 2026
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Brunson had 27 points by halftime, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that blew the score to 74-51 and gave him the second-most first-half points in Knicks playoff history.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Tajul Islam, 55, is accused of groping and molesting the victims inside Masjid Bilal Queens on Sutphin Blvd.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
My body, however, had become an object of desire—I was catcalled, harassed, or groped on the way home from the movies or school.—
Leila Mottley,
Vogue,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
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South Africa has stumbled into a classic policy trap.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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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
-
Although the mom of four appeared to spend the rest of her night faux pas-free, she's had to handle sartorial blunders before.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In January 2003, angry former Time Warner shareholders booted Case as chairman, and that September, the board dropped the AOL name.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
-
As the final results came in Saturday, Labour had lost 1,000 local council seats across England and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Spencer Strider, who began the year sidelined with a right oblique strain and struggled with command upon his return last week, looked close to vintage form in Los Angeles.—
Jesús Cano,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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During their first night together, just for an instant, Nikki appears to glitch, jerking back mid-kiss and looking at him with blind panic instead of undying affection.—
Alex Barasch,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Because Hathaway was penalized for tripping Elmer Soderblom and and roughing Malkin, in addition to Konecny's roughing minor, Pittsburgh received a power-play.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Space heaters provided heat, but the sloths were kept in the cold for at least one night after a fuse tripped.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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