Fumble (Verb)
Meaning 1
Drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder; "fumble a grounder".
Classification
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.
Examples
- The shortstop, known for her lightning reflexes, surprisingly fumbled a routine grounder that should have been an easy out.
- In a stunning upset, the top-seeded team's star infielder fumbled a grounder in the championship game's deciding play.
- As the crowd gasped, the second baseman's usually reliable hands fumbled a grounder that allowed the opposing team to score.
- After fielding the ball cleanly, the third baseman fumbled a grounder, and then had the decency to look embarrassed by his mistake.
- The visiting team's infielder fumbled a grounder in the top of the ninth inning, sealing their fate in a one-run loss.
Related Words
Meaning 2
Handle clumsily.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She fumbled with the lock, struggling to get the key to fit.
- The nervous waiter fumbled with the tray, almost dropping the glasses.
- He fumbled with the rope, trying to secure the knot.
- The young player fumbled with the ball, dropping it to the ground.
- The amateur gardener fumbled with the delicate seedling, accidentally damaging its stem.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Make a mess of, destroy or ruin; "I botched the dinner and we had to eat out"; "the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The new employee managed to fumble the presentation in front of the entire board of directors.
- She was really looking forward to her job interview but her nervousness caused her to fumble the answers to the questions.
- The inexperienced chef fumbled the preparation of the special sauce, resulting in a disastrous taste.
- The researcher spent years working on the project but unfortunately fumbled the final experiment.
- The politician's poor responses to the debate questions led critics to argue that she had fumbled the election.
Synonyms
- Louse Up
- Ball Up
- Bollix Up
- Bodge
- Spoil
- Botch Up
- Bollocks
- Screw Up
- Muck Up
- Mess Up
- Muff
- Blow
- Bobble
- Mishandle
- Bollocks Up
- Bungle
- Botch
- Flub
- Fuck Up
- Fluff
- Bollix
- Bumble
- Foul Up
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Feel about uncertainly or blindly; "She groped for her glasses in the darkness of the bedroom".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She fumbled for the door handle in the darkness, desperate to escape the burglarized house.
- He fumbled under the bed for his missing sock but couldn't seem to find it anywhere.
- In the thick fog, the hikers had to fumble for handholds on the rocky terrain to avoid falling.
- After waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, she fumbled for her phone to check the time.
- The child fumbled in the toy box for the missing puzzle piece, determined to finish the picture.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 5
Make one's way clumsily or blindly; "He fumbled towards the door".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- She fumbled through the dark hallway trying to find the light switch.
- He fumbled towards the exit in the crowded concert venue, desperate for fresh air.
- The disoriented passenger fumbled along the airport terminal, searching for the right gate.
- The injured player slowly fumbled off the field, struggling to put weight on his knee.
- After waking up from a deep sleep, she fumbled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom.