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
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
—
ABC News,
22 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
The Spurs had one more chance, but Stephon Castle fumbled the inbounds pass and pandemonium at Madison Square Garden followed.
—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Maye tossed eight interceptions and fumbled eight times last season.
—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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
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
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
Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
—
ABC News,
22 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
The Spurs had one more chance, but Stephon Castle fumbled the inbounds pass and pandemonium at Madison Square Garden followed.
—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Maye tossed eight interceptions and fumbled eight times last season.
—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
Adjective
-
Such a feature would neatly get around the need for clumsy remote control sessions to interact with AI agents running on a distant Mac.
-
The head coach was clumsy in his response, saying — in effect — that the player is better suited to being an impact substitute and taking advantage of tiring opposition defenders.
Verb
-
Coach Matt LaFleur faces immense pressure after the team blew a 21-3 playoff lead and finished with five straight losses.
-
But what really blew me away was the sheer scale of the panoramas.
Verb
-
White detailed a bizarre, almost miraculous weather event that saved the outdoor fight night just as things looked grim.
-
Trade the tricorn hats, bonnets and homespun shirts for flip flops, sneakers and soccer jerseys, and the intrepid revolutionaries of 1776 would have looked a lot like the people of 2026.
Verb
-
The day after the earthquakes, some volunteers stumbled upon a 7-year-old boy named Mateo, shirtless and covered in debris, sitting by himself on a sidewalk in La Guaira.
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Scientists have stumbled on a rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica, tucked away for decades in a drawer.
Adjective
-
Human bodies were like animals’ The few medical instruments of the revolutionary era were heavy in the hand, awkward in use and imprecise to maneuver.
-
In its place are itty-bitty bands that still keep your flats or heels in place, just with less of a chance of awkward tan lines.
Verb
-
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.
-
The Cubs players continued to taunt Ruth at every opportunity, and a big one came their way in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jurges slashed a sinking liner into right field and the lumbering, top-heavy Babe muffed a shoestring catch.
Verb
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Historic heat Since Thursday, heat in the East has broken at least three dozen daily high temperature records, many warmest-low-temperature records as heat reached levels that some cities haven’t experienced in more than a decade.
-
Just as Argentina was set to take on Cape Verde, FIFA’s Fan Fest at Bayfront Park reached capacity.
Verb
-
Mysterio tripped Page onto the second rope, but Page cut off Rey Mysterio with a big boot as Rey attempted a 619.
-
The Kospi, half the value of which is made up of just two tech behemoths (SK Hynix and Samsung), tripped another circuit breaker Friday, leading to a 20-minute trading break.
Cite this Entry
“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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