fumble

1 of 2

verb

fum·​ble ˈfəm-bəl How to pronounce fumble (audio)
fumbled; fumbling ˈfəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce fumble (audio)

intransitive verb

1
a
: to grope for or handle something clumsily or aimlessly
b
: to make awkward attempts to do or find something
fumbled in his pocket for a coin
c
: to search by trial and error
d
2
: to feel one's way or move awkwardly
3
a
: to drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder
b
: to lose hold of a football while handling or running with it

transitive verb

1
: to bring about by clumsy manipulation
2
a
: to feel or handle clumsily
b
: to deal with in a blundering way : bungle
3
: to make (one's way) in a clumsy manner
4
a
: misplay
fumble a grounder
b
: to lose hold of (a football) while handling or running
fumbler noun
fumblingly adverb

fumble

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of fumbling
2
: a fumbled ball

Examples of fumble in a Sentence

Verb She fumbled in her pocket for her keys. They fumbled a good opportunity to take control of the market. He was hit hard and fumbled on the 20-yard line. He fumbled the ball on the 20-yard line. Noun played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
There are also ball-security issues — he’s fumbled 10 times in three seasons, losing six. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 McCaffrey fumbled the ball on the first drive of the game. Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Kelce, who’d been taken out of the game when Pacheco fumbled, screamed right after at coach Andy Reid on the sideline before bumping him — an exchange CBS’s broadcast replayed for the millions watching. Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 Not every ad scored a touchdown, and a few fumbled the ball. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Feb. 2024 Bardem’s eyes don’t skip around the patio or wander away; his hands don’t absently fumble to check his phone. Hemal Jhaveri, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 Kansas City, down 10-3 at the half, came back in the third quarter to score on a field goal, and then a touchdown after recovering the ball when the 49ers fumbled a punt. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 In the second quarter alone, the Chiefs saw star tight end Travis Kelce bump head coach Andy Reid because he was apparently upset over not being on the field when Pacheco fumbled and star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed called for an unnecessary roughness penalty. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024 Isiah Pacheco fumbles after he’s tackled by Deommodore Lenoir. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
As a Season 10 contestant, Kish was the easygoing yet particular frontrunner before she was eliminated following the show’s signature Restaurant Wars challenge, after taking responsibility as team leader for the poor preparation timing and a gelatin fumble by a fellow teammate. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Fumbling problem Ward is certainly not perfect, as evidenced by dozens of fumbles during his career, the first two seasons at Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Teammate Trent McDuffie fell on the fumble to complete the touchdown-saving play as the Chiefs beat the Ravens and qualified for the Super Bowl. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 During a Christmas Day game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Kelce was seen spiking his helmet on the sideline after a fake fumble. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 Right before Pacheco’s fumble, Mecole Hardman hauled in a beautiful 52-yard deep shot from Mahomes. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 In the third quarter, the Aztecs appeared to recover a BYU fumble on the 25-yard-line, but officials ruled no fumble. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 All-around achiever Last year, Bain played in all 13 games, amassing 44 tackles, 12 1/2 tackles for loss, a team-leading 7 1/2 sacks, one pass breakup, four quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Hardman’s 52-yard catch in the second quarter seemed destined to set up Kansas City’s first touchdown, but a fumble on the next play nullified that opportunity. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish fumla to fumble

First Known Use

Verb

1534, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fumble was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near fumble

Cite this Entry

“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fumble. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fumble

1 of 2 verb
fum·​ble ˈfəm-bəl How to pronounce fumble (audio)
fumbled; fumbling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce fumble (audio)
: to feel about for or handle something clumsily
fumbler noun

fumble

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of fumbling
2
: a fumbled ball

More from Merriam-Webster on fumble

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