fumbled 1 of 2

adjective

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

fumbled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of fumble
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fumbled
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
After Duran took third on a fly ball, pinch-hitter Joc Pederson hit a ground ball up the middle that was fumbled by Taylor Walls, allowing Duran to score. — ABC News, 30 July 2026 Chad Powers season 2 sees the actor reprise his role as Russ Holliday, a former star college quarterback who fumbled his promising career after a humiliating championship-game meltdown. — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 29 July 2026 The Giants scored the game’s first run in the top of the third when Mariners center fielder Luke Raley fumbled the ball on Bryce Eldridge’s single with runners on first and second. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 Basabe, 48, fumbled his way through the trial, often seeming confused about the legal proceedings. — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026 But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026 After South Korea’s goalkeeper fumbled a ball, Luis Romo scored the goal that gave the Mexicans six points and pushed them to the top of the standings. — Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026 OnlyFans fumbled a previous version of this dilemma. — Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026 Before that, when the Jets could have taken the lead on their opening drive, Allen fumbled on the Dolphins’ 1-yard line. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
  1. clumsy
  2. blew
  3. looked
  4. stumbled
  5. awkward
  6. muffed
  7. reached
  8. tripped
Adjective
  • The mistake leaders make is concluding that the person who looks uncertain or clumsy must have been the wrong choice.
    — Monica Cutia, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The second trickier and clumsier aside happens when Banderas’ chef tells Tony the tragedy of 17th century French cook François Vatel, who literally fell on his sword before serving a banquet to Louis XIV.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • Back up in his own end zone, Robinson blew past outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, made the snag from Tagovailoa and jogged the rest of the way to the goal line.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Banana Ball World Tour blew through Boise last weekend, bringing two nights of family-friendly, wacky baseball to Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • The small, decorative tabletop fire pit that Anthony Trevino bought on Amazon five years ago looked harmless.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Some jurors cried while others looked distraught during the testimony.
    — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of looked
Verb
  • Some stopped during their lunch break, while others stumbled across the competition by chance.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement But the test favored Claude by selecting cases where a researcher had already stumbled.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Adjective
  • The vibes are awkward all around, and things only get weirder when Emira pulls Georgia aside to chat.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
  • And like any awkward teenager, his style was portrayed as a bit chaotic and confusing throughout the film—as per Karmin’s plan.
    — Dylan Muñoz, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • But Lindor also muffed a leadoff grounder by Lopez in the first, which led to Hicks’ RBI single and an unearned run charged to Thornton.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
  • With Freddie Freeman standing on second base, after a leadoff double against Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez, Muncy hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Will Wagner, who muffed the play.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of muffed
Verb
  • Fire danger continues in the Pacific Northwest Saturday as flame-fueling winds reached their strongest point in days on Friday, challenging fire crews battling to keep destructive blazes from spreading in Spokane, Washington, and across the region.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Somebody reached into the machinery that treats drinking water in a dozen states, in real towns, while the rest of us argued about model releases.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of reached
Verb
  • The drama didn’t end there; while exiting the ride with the fox, one of the employees tripped but quickly regained her balance and the fox.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Iyo climbed atop the barricade with help from a fan, but Liv tripped her up and took control of the match.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of tripped

Browse Nearby Words

fumble
fumbled
fumbler
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fumbled

Nglish: Translation of fumbled for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All