fumbled; fumbling
ˈfəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
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
: blunder
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
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
Synonyms
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
Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
After Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball deep in San Francisco 49ers territory, Kelce was seen running up to Reid and grabbed his arm.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Hardman also fumbled during the playoffs while trying to stretch over the goal line against the Buffalo Bills.
—Jeff Fedotin, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Maybe the self-checkout nightmare, in which customers fumble frustratingly with weird machines instead of going to cashiers who know how to operate a company’s point-of-sale (POS) system, is coming to an end.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024
The Lai family supplemented Huong Que with a secondary, English-language handle, so that its new Western fans wouldn’t fumble the pronunciation.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Image: Netflix Making characters fumble in the darkness on their way to solving the puzzle of Three-Body was one of the many ways Liu mirrored, on a microscopic level, the book’s larger ideas about the power of collaborative efforts versus the control that comes from individual decision-making.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
But in the eighth inning, with just four outs left, Angels shortstop Liván Soto fumbles a grounder hit by Conner Capel.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Another huge punt is briefly fumbled, but Chiefs returner Richie James is able to corral it.
—Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024
Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2024
Redshirt sophomore safety Savion Riley, a transfer out of Vanderbilt, forced a fumble.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
The three-year starter was the first Seminoles player in history with a interception, sack, tackle for loss, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the same game.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
After a series of organizational fumbles, the Museum for African Art, source of some of the most conceptually daring exhibitions of its era, vanished.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The defender, listed by the program as 6-1 and 233 pounds, took advantage of his short stint, producing 83 total tackles (10 for loss), six sacks and two forced fumbles.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
During his three years with the Demon Deacons, Mustapha posted 175 tackles, four sacks, 10 pass breakups, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
After the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble that was recovered by the 49ers at their 8-yard line, quarterback Brock Purdy scrambled for a 9-yard gain.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2024
Van Ginkel is coming off a solid 2023 season with the Dolphins with 6.0 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 19 QB hits, 8 passes defensed, 1 interception (returned for a touchdown), 1 fumble recovery and 69 tackles.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
A lot of people have been sort of aghast that Carrie fumbled Ben so badly.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
After Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball deep in San Francisco 49ers territory, Kelce was seen running up to Reid and grabbed his arm.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Hardman also fumbled during the playoffs while trying to stretch over the goal line against the Buffalo Bills.
—Jeff Fedotin, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Maybe the self-checkout nightmare, in which customers fumble frustratingly with weird machines instead of going to cashiers who know how to operate a company’s point-of-sale (POS) system, is coming to an end.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024
The Lai family supplemented Huong Que with a secondary, English-language handle, so that its new Western fans wouldn’t fumble the pronunciation.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Image: Netflix Making characters fumble in the darkness on their way to solving the puzzle of Three-Body was one of the many ways Liu mirrored, on a microscopic level, the book’s larger ideas about the power of collaborative efforts versus the control that comes from individual decision-making.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
But in the eighth inning, with just four outs left, Angels shortstop Liván Soto fumbles a grounder hit by Conner Capel.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Another huge punt is briefly fumbled, but Chiefs returner Richie James is able to corral it.
—Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
Former Borah standout defensive lineman Trevor McKenna finished with three tackles and a forced fumble.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2024
Redshirt sophomore safety Savion Riley, a transfer out of Vanderbilt, forced a fumble.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
The three-year starter was the first Seminoles player in history with a interception, sack, tackle for loss, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the same game.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
After a series of organizational fumbles, the Museum for African Art, source of some of the most conceptually daring exhibitions of its era, vanished.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The defender, listed by the program as 6-1 and 233 pounds, took advantage of his short stint, producing 83 total tackles (10 for loss), six sacks and two forced fumbles.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
During his three years with the Demon Deacons, Mustapha posted 175 tackles, four sacks, 10 pass breakups, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
After the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble that was recovered by the 49ers at their 8-yard line, quarterback Brock Purdy scrambled for a 9-yard gain.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2024
Van Ginkel is coming off a solid 2023 season with the Dolphins with 6.0 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 19 QB hits, 8 passes defensed, 1 interception (returned for a touchdown), 1 fumble recovery and 69 tackles.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near fumble
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fumble. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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