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
Bachmeier twice converted on third down with runs, including an 8-yarder after a fumbled snap. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 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
However, Cam Skattebo fumbled to give Washington an opportunity. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 With Oregon outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt blitzing, Iamaleava attempted to throw the ball away to the flat and instead fumbled, giving the Ducks the ball on the Bruins’ one-yard-line. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Willis fumbles After the Dolphins forced a Cincinnati punt, Willis fumbled -- his third in three games. — Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026 But as New York tried to run down the clock, Cam Skattebo fumbled, and Washington recovered. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 Harris fumbled with the Giants driving in Arizona territory early in the fourth quarter. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 He's also dropped several passes and fumbled a pitch on an end-around. — CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 The rookie tight end caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in his first career start Sunday, even as the Lions beat the Jets, 31-24, after Geno Smith fumbled with seconds remaining. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 Jeff Dean / Getty Images When Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow fumbled late in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh exhaled with a 30-27 win over a division rival. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
  1. clumsy
  2. blew
  3. looked
  4. stumbled
  5. awkward
  6. muffed
  7. reached
  8. tripped
Adjective
  • One of the clumsiest parts of Klosterman’s book is his attempts at political punditry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • But the administration blew past a Sunday evening deadline and ran two of the ads into the early hours of Monday, advertising data from AdImpact shows.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Commanders scored a touchdown two minutes into the game and never trailed, yet still blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • Something may have looked manageable until real life entered the picture.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Teenagers and young adults were arriving with sudden-onset, elaborate tic-like behaviors that looked little like the syndrome psychiatrist Kirsten Müller-Vahl had spent decades treating.
    — Nebyou Belay, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of looked
Verb
  • Kore-eda stumbled on the manga in a bookshop rather than through its serial run.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Jessica Koslow stumbled upon them at another shop, Virgil Normal, resulting in a collaboration with her restaurant Sqirl.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Adjective
  • The happy reunion is actually a bit awkward and tense at first.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Grappling with how the world has molded you, and how that manifests in life, in love, and in your day job, can be an awkward process.
    — Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • The next one started from the one-yard line after wideout Terrell Anderson muffed a punt.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Derius Davis muffed a punt return and it was recovered by Seattle's Connor O'Toole.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of muffed
Verb
  • Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,467 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached with Hamas nearly a year ago, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which doesn't give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Recently, 10 year and 30 year US Treasury yields reached their highest levels since 2007 and 2002, respectively.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of reached
Verb
  • The truest sign that Joseph had tripped the Rams up with Hufanga’s blitz came by looking at Rams right guard Kevin Dotson.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Since then, price has completely round-tripped the move, giving back the entire post-earnings gap and settling back into the mid-$250s.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 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 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All