as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
my future father-in-law shook his head over my fumbled attempt to compliment his daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blew
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 looked
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 stumbled
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 fumbled
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2025
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
Big shock, but the only goal came from an Arsenal corner as Riccardo Calafiori headed in a Rice delivery that was fumbled by Altay Bayindir (6ft 6in; 198cm).
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Second baseman Luis Arraez had a chance to turn a double play on Montgomery’s grounder but fumbled the ball and had to settle for one out.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 May 2026
In doing so, the TV adaptation fumbled the comics’ superior final act, turning Butcher’s own ignominious death at the hands of Hughie into an ineffective afterthought.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 May 2026
But Arsenal rallied while City fumbled, leading to scenes of delirium yesterday in London, where tens of thousands partied through the night in the club’s home borough of Islington.
—Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
The city fumbled the rollout of the parks bond and now the residents are paying — in both money and exasperation, Inserra noted.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2026
As print and television media fumbled their way online, Gawker used the internet to pull back the curtain on celebrity, mainstream media, politics and creeping commercialism.
—Frank Digiacomo, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
Adjective
In the preseason opener, Mahomes was on the field for three snaps after the Chiefs recovered a fumbled kickoff to open the game.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2025
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
Big shock, but the only goal came from an Arsenal corner as Riccardo Calafiori headed in a Rice delivery that was fumbled by Altay Bayindir (6ft 6in; 198cm).
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Second baseman Luis Arraez had a chance to turn a double play on Montgomery’s grounder but fumbled the ball and had to settle for one out.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 May 2026
In doing so, the TV adaptation fumbled the comics’ superior final act, turning Butcher’s own ignominious death at the hands of Hughie into an ineffective afterthought.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 May 2026
But Arsenal rallied while City fumbled, leading to scenes of delirium yesterday in London, where tens of thousands partied through the night in the club’s home borough of Islington.
—Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
The city fumbled the rollout of the parks bond and now the residents are paying — in both money and exasperation, Inserra noted.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2026
As print and television media fumbled their way online, Gawker used the internet to pull back the curtain on celebrity, mainstream media, politics and creeping commercialism.
—Frank Digiacomo, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
Adjective
-
But a clumsy tackle and a penalty shootout later, and Arsenal left Budapest with nothing.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Once in the water, where crocodiles have the home-ground advantage, large mammals become clumsy, oxygen-limited and vulnerable to rotational forces they are poorly equipped to resist.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The 2006 Royals had the worst bullpen ERA in baseball and blew 31 saves.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
-
The Boston Celtics blew a 3-1 lead to the 76ers in the first round and the Detroit Pistons lost to the Cavaliers in seven games in the second round.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The man looked at me in a rustling way, swaying toward me, his Styrofoam plate of angel hair and cherry tomatoes dotted with tiny black seeds like ants’ eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit a record high, signaling that investors have looked past the geopolitical uncertainty.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Soto, wounded, stumbled into the Wingstop seeking help.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Indeed, a dying wish and a cryptic clue lead the unlikely duo on a journey full of twists and turns, bad choices, awkward conversations, lies, fights, mystery, betrayal, and a dangerous killer.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Stakeholder facilitation and consensus-building bridge communication gaps and ease awkward conversations about one’s own compensation.—
Jim Hebets,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Anisimova got to within two points of the finish again, with Parry serving at 5-6, but then muffed a short, low backhand long.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
-
In the top of the second, with two runners on, David Hamilton hit a one-hop liner to center field that PCA simply muffed, allowing the ball to roll all the way to the wall and three runs to score.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Questions about the rumors eventually reached Pixar executives.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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Eastside Innovation, the developer trying to bring a billion-dollar, mixed-use development to the site where Indian Springs Mall once stood, has reached an impasse with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK over a key sticking point.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Drawing 0-0 at home with Brentford in March, the visitors should have conceded a penalty and been put down to 10 men when Tavernier was tripped in the area by Michael Kayode.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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In the summer of 1953, while playing with his brother in a trio at Conneaut Lake, Negri tripped over a pretty girl on the beach, Joni Serafini of Squirrel Hill.—
Tribune News Service,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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