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

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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

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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

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3
as in stumbled
to make a mistake just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled

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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
The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers. — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026 On his second drive, Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Centennial fumbled on its first possession to set up Petero’s two-yard touchdown run. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Teammate Braxton Berrios fumbled the ball away to end that drive. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 29 Aug. 2026 Then, on the opening drive of the second half, Craig was hit and fumbled the ball at TCU’s 31-yard line. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026 Kim fumbled while being sacked by Fata Puloka later in the quarter, though, and Xavier Williams returned it 29 yards for a Hornets touchdown. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026 In the bathroom, my fingers fumbled in the inner pocket of my jacket, searching for the passport. — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 Despite rebounding with the wildly entertaining F9 in 2021, the Fast franchise fumbled the 10th chapter, which underperformed at the box office and didn’t exactly get fans hyped for the follow-up. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumbled
  1. clumsy
  2. blew
  3. looked
  4. stumbled
  5. awkward
  6. muffed
  7. reached
  8. tripped
Adjective
  • Yirenki’s challenge on Christos Tzolis is clumsy, but well short of a first yellow card, let alone a second.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Vocals are surprisingly good, despite the show being a bit awkward and clumsy at times.
    — Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Playing the American League’s best team, the Padres had the final two games of the series in hand before the practically impermeable back end of their bullpen blew late leads.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • In the past, BioCryst would have looked internally to develop its pipeline.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Over the last few years, the AI talent market has looked more like a professional sports draft than a conventional hiring cycle.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of looked
Verb
  • But most of the attempts to scale sodium-ion cells stumbled over short lifespans and poor heat tolerance.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In her attempt to get away, the woman stumbled and injured her leg, screaming for help the whole time, police said.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Adjective
  • The Moon in Pisces moves through your 6th House of Work, Health, and Daily Routines while making an awkward angle to Venus in Libra and your 1st House of Self.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Most of us have felt awkward during those first tentative steps back into dating.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • Wright also muffed a kick return, the opening one of the preseason, last week at the Washington Commanders.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of muffed
Verb
  • That’s the group of free agents who garner the most attention, players who have reached six years of service time or more.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The companies’ interest in the Monarch data center shows how the feeding frenzy for compute has reached a new pitch as AI companies look to nail down capacity amid the AI buildout.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of reached
Verb
  • As the trio grew up on Nebraska high school fields, the Huskers tripped and slipped to a 7-17 record during their senior seasons.
    — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • During competition, a number of humanoid robots have tripped, collapsed, burst into flames or slammed into safety barriers and then been stretchered off the track.
    — Anna Coren, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of tripped

Browse Nearby Words

fumble
fumbled
fumbler
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Cite this Entry

“Fumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumbled. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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