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
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
Miller tied for the Terps team lead with three interceptions in 2024 and had 39 tackles (26 solo), three tackles for a loss, five passes defended and a fumble recovery.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2025
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Later in the first period, Theodore fumbled the puck into the skates of his teammate, Hertl, on their way out of the defensive zone, and Foligno added to Minnesota’s lead.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
The 6-5, 321-pound Biggers had 104 tackles, including 10 for loss, two sacks and two fumble recoveries in 47 games over four seasons for the Yellow Jackets.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
Miller tied for the Terps team lead with three interceptions in 2024 and had 39 tackles (26 solo), three tackles for a loss, five passes defended and a fumble recovery.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
In a brief authored by Christopher S. Yates and other attorneys from Latham & Watkins and Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, NASCAR contends that U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell fumbled the law in granting preliminary injunctions to the two teams last December.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Later in the first period, Theodore fumbled the puck into the skates of his teammate, Hertl, on their way out of the defensive zone, and Foligno added to Minnesota’s lead.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
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Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: San Diego’s roads are in dire condition after years of deferred maintenance; drastically cutting the road-repair budget now would be a serious mistake.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2025
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Honeywell has learned from its mistakes, delivering a sensible forecast during its April 29 quarterly earnings report.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
9 May 2025
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
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Those cops do more than blow whistles and bark signals.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
Verb
-
After cabin lights were dimmed, Abraham allegedly began to grope Morgan, according to the lawsuit.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2025
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Prosecution alleges actor groped plaintiffs Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped the set dresser with his legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses.—
John Leicester,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the only truly happy artist in Ira’s friend group — played to uproarious perfection by Stanley Tucci — isn’t even much of an artist at all but a shameless name-dropper who seems to stumble into constant success without even trying.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
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Still, many times, most seasoned and skilled leaders stumble from time to time.—
Phil Portman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
All the evidence points to various blunders, assumptions, policies, choices and unlucky circumstances that led to the tragedy.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Be equipped to answer this when delivering bad news by understanding the root cause of the blunder.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Fortnite was booted from iPhones and Apple’s App Store in 2020, after Epic Games updated its software to link out to the company’s website and avoid Apple’s commissions.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
9 May 2025
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Using secure boot to stop malicious software from launching during startup. TPM can detect changes and prevent your system from booting, keeping your device secure from physical attacks.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Near where Prima was sitting, on the top step of the cathedral, was a girl who looked familiar to her.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
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Haney looked timid and afraid for the first four rounds before finding his legs and winning a unanimous decision in a lackluster fight with Jose Ramirez.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Verb
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When Cody trips and falls in the grass, his friends band together to comfort him and get him a bandage for his boo-boo.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
9 May 2025
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The 100th episode is an all-out celebration, with giant poultry, trips to the afterlife and even a cameo by Mark Hamill.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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