as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to blow
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 to grope
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 to stumble
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 fumble
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025
Arrington is a two-way player at Mount Miguel, catching 31 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns last season while registering 26 tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble as a cornerback.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Annita Katee, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2025
Wang again earned the right to serve for the set by breaking the Czech, but again fumbled, this time rather more emphatically.
—Leon Imber, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
One time as a junior, Turk tackled the running back and the quarterback and forced a fumble in the same play.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025
Arrington is a two-way player at Mount Miguel, catching 31 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns last season while registering 26 tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble as a cornerback.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Verb
There’s nothing worse than fumbling with laces in a TSA line.
—Annita Katee, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2025
Wang again earned the right to serve for the set by breaking the Czech, but again fumbled, this time rather more emphatically.
—Leon Imber, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
Such complacency could be a mistake, as some market watchers have cautioned.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
9 July 2025
-
Investors who do not use the tool risk making major mistakes.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
Water moving at 25 mph has the pressure equivalent of wind blowing at 790 mph, faster than the speed of sound.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
In September, he was accused of groping the butts of at least three different women and a 15-year-old girl at locations in Westwood and Delhi Township.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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He’s accused of groping and mugging a 36-year-old woman.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Hegseth, a former Fox TV host who has stumbled through several controversies during his six months in office, sat silently next to Trump without volunteering any information about the decision that apparently came on his watch.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
9 July 2025
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Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: Robot couriers may stumble today, but over a longer horizon, their spread feels inevitable.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández made run-scoring defensive blunders in the outfield.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Whereas the Pacers had their lowest giveaway total of the championship round in Game 6, OKC had its highest turnover game of the playoffs, with 23 blunders leading to 32 Indiana points.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Initially meant to be filmed simultaneously with the first installment, the sequel faced internal battles, forcing initial director Richard Donner to be booted from the project.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
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Reinventing Kong The first thing players will notice upon booting up Donkey Kong Bananza is that its titular ape looks pretty different.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
Verb
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What to look for in quality grain-free dog foods Whole protein The best grain-free dog foods are wholesome, and their primary ingredients should include whole animal proteins.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
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And who better to look to for inspiration than Martha Stewart?—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The Wall Street Journal wrote about how the robots are getting flipped over, stuck in snow piles and some students have been found to sit on them, or trip over them, when drinking.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
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An employee at a Pyro Spectaculars, Inc. warehouse tripped and dropped a combustible shell.—
Calista Oetama
July 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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