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
Relevance
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
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
In a stunning blowout Friday night, KU fumbled its conference tournament semifinal against the Houston Cougars, losing 69-47.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
Their review centers on whether Gutierrez acted within his allowable discretion in concluding the jurors fumbled so badly their verdict had to be vacated.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Dallas stumbled, fumbled and grumbled its way to a 122-92 loss, which was somehow not its most lopsided game of the season.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
And the counseling office fumbled it.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Cornell fumbled with Mercader’s clothing, trying to find them.
—Josh Ireland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
When Kahn fumbled Rivaldo’s shot from the edge of the box, Ronaldo was on hand to convert the rebound.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
In turn, the Heat fumbled it away.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 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
The Warriors had a chance to send the game to overtime on the final possession of regulation, but Post, who hit four 3s on the night, fumbled the catch and turned the ball over, leaving the Knicks with the ball as the shot clock expired.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
In a stunning blowout Friday night, KU fumbled its conference tournament semifinal against the Houston Cougars, losing 69-47.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
Their review centers on whether Gutierrez acted within his allowable discretion in concluding the jurors fumbled so badly their verdict had to be vacated.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Dallas stumbled, fumbled and grumbled its way to a 122-92 loss, which was somehow not its most lopsided game of the season.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
And the counseling office fumbled it.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Cornell fumbled with Mercader’s clothing, trying to find them.
—Josh Ireland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
When Kahn fumbled Rivaldo’s shot from the edge of the box, Ronaldo was on hand to convert the rebound.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
In turn, the Heat fumbled it away.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
Adjective
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But weighting the draft odds is a delicate business — and one the Bulls remain committed to approaching with a clumsy commitment to competitiveness.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Kurt's key takeaway Scammers are no longer relying only on clumsy emails or obvious red flags.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Up big in the first half, blew the lead, lost.—
Ren Clayton,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The Horns, who blew a pair of must-win games and limped to an 18-13 finish of the regular season before a one-and-done SEC Tourney appearance, were the Last Team In in ESPN’s bracketology projection and could only hope that Joe Lunardi and the selection committee were in lock step.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Naseer Paktiawal looked at the face of his brother, Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, maybe for the last time.—
Bo Evans,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
He was examined by the team doctors for both Japan and the Miami Marlins before returning to Arizona, where the Cubs doctor also looked at him.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Florida stumbled so badly that the Gators fired coach Billy Napier.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
-
And yet Minnesota somehow stumbled into someone who could be much better than that – for effectively none of the cost.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
From historic wins, like the first woman to win for cinematography and seventh-ever Oscar tie, to awkward silences to moving tributes and very, very long bits from host Conan O’Brien, the March 15 ceremony was emotional and eventful.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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During the acceptance speech for Two People Exchanging Saliva, an awkward moment occurred when the microphone started to descend and the camera shifted to host Conan O'Brien, who was still waiting for the speeches to end.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Critics also complain that Dodge, known for its muscle cars, muffed its transition to hybrid power systems.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
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But early in the second half, with the Seahawks leading 17-13, Smith muffed another kick and the Seahawks recovered the ball.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Well before the Bellevue shelter reached its current state, people were trying to shut it down.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Downtown Los Angeles reached 94 degrees, beating its previous daily high for March 18 of 87 in 1997.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pastrnak was tripped by Aleksei Protas trying to break out of his own zone and it was egregiously let go by the officials.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Hughes came out of his home and approached the students pulling the prank, and then tripped and fell into the street, authorities previously said.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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