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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fumbled
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2025
James Boyd, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Slightly concerning given that Mims has already fumbled one punt this season.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
On the 49ers’ previous possession, former Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell fumbled a catch near midfield, and the Jaguars scored on the next play with Travis Etienne’s 48-yard touchdown run putting them ahead 7-3.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
While the Chiefs are coming off their first win of the season, the Ravens are following a difficult loss to the Detroit Lions, in which Derrick Henry fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter for the second time this season.
—Hunter Simpson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The only reason this grade wasn’t an F was the aforementioned stop after Daniels fumbled at the 1.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Receiver Adonai Mitchell – who earlier fumbled the ball on the goal line, turning a touchdown into a touchback – was called for holding on a 53-yard Jonathan Taylor TD run that would have had the same result regardless of the penalty.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
To put that into perspective, Henry fumbled three times on 683 touches from Week 18 of the 2022 season through the end of the 2024 season.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
But Henry fumbled on the first play, as Aidan Hutchinson punched the ball out from behind.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
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
Last year, Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor celebrated prematurely and fumbled the ball through the back of the end zone on what was going to be a 41-yard TD run.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Slightly concerning given that Mims has already fumbled one punt this season.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
On the 49ers’ previous possession, former Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell fumbled a catch near midfield, and the Jaguars scored on the next play with Travis Etienne’s 48-yard touchdown run putting them ahead 7-3.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
While the Chiefs are coming off their first win of the season, the Ravens are following a difficult loss to the Detroit Lions, in which Derrick Henry fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter for the second time this season.
—Hunter Simpson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The only reason this grade wasn’t an F was the aforementioned stop after Daniels fumbled at the 1.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Receiver Adonai Mitchell – who earlier fumbled the ball on the goal line, turning a touchdown into a touchback – was called for holding on a 53-yard Jonathan Taylor TD run that would have had the same result regardless of the penalty.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
To put that into perspective, Henry fumbled three times on 683 touches from Week 18 of the 2022 season through the end of the 2024 season.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
But Henry fumbled on the first play, as Aidan Hutchinson punched the ball out from behind.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
Adjective
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Maggie is a snoop—and a clumsy one.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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But the character’s state of servitude is largely hidden in clumsy blocking.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Apparently, Grier forgot his own words, because the lines that the Dolphins have built are collectively their worst this decade, something evident in a crushing 27-24 loss to Carolina, a game in which Miami blew a 17-0 lead.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
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Whalen described one recent encounter where a homeless person blew fentanyl smoke in his face.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Tennessean looked at weekly circulars from more than a dozen stores, including Middle Tennessee staples like Aldi, Dollar General, BJ's Wholesale Club.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
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Additionally, the report found that 47% of companies looked to automating or implementing new technologies to address worker shortages, a five percentage point increase from 2024.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Except, of course, for that old dinosaur that somehow stumbled into a misplaced DeLorean, fired up the flux capacitor, and time travelled from the stone ages straight to the Uli beach.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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Determined to keep searching, Hollie eventually stumbled on a TLC episode featuring a boy named Gio, who also had Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That’s six games without a goal now for their new striker, who still looks awkward in this side.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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The onion on top is a little awkward to cut and to eat, so think of this as a knife-and-fork cornbread.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When center fielder Bryce Teodosio muffed Doyle’s single, Goodman scored the go-ahead run.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
20 Sep. 2025
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Kicker Brady Denaburg missed a potentially game-tying, 51-yard field goal, and then U returner Koi Perich muffed bouncing punt in the shadow of the goalposts.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Varland reached back for the second-hardest pitch of his career, striking out Giancarlo Stanton with 101 mph to hold the lead.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Iran reportedly executed six prisoners Saturday who the regime claimed carried out deadly attacks in the country’s oil-rich southwest on behalf of Israel, marking the latest surge in executions that rights groups say have reached levels unseen in decades.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Georges Mikautadze tripped before getting back on his feet to score Villarreal’s 18th-minute opener from a Nicolas Pepe assist.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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In the Cowboys’ lone OT possession, inside the Packers’ 5-yard line, Dak was feeling some pressure, and running when he was barely tripped from behind by his old teammate to return to the original line of scrimmage.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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