bumble
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to bungle or blunder awkwardly; muddle.
He somehow bumbled through two years of college.
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to stumble or stagger.
-
to speak in a low, stuttering, halting manner; mumble.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to speak or do in a clumsy, muddled, or inefficient way
he bumbled his way through his speech
-
(intr) to proceed unsteadily; stumble
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bumble1
1525–35; perhaps blend of bungle and stumble
Origin of bumble2
1350–1400; Middle English bomblen, frequentative of bomben to boom, buzz; imitative
Explanation
To bumble is to move or speak in an awkward, fumbling way. You might bumble your way through your first dance performance, tripping over your own two feet. When you bumble, you walk unsteadily or speak with a stutter. You can also bumble something, or completely mess it up. An inexperienced teacher might bumble her attempts at managing a huge class of middle school students, and you might worry that you'll bumble your first interview as a radio reporter. Bumble was first used in the 1500's, and it's probably an imitative word, or one that sounds like what it means.
Vocabulary lists containing bumble
Awkward Moments
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"The Wife of Bath's Tale," Vocabulary from the narrative poem
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Look Both Ways
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Now, researchers from the University of Oulu, the University of Helsinki, and the University of Turku in Finland have found comparable abilities in bumble bees.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
Philadelphia managed to bumble its way into the play-in and squeaked into the playoffs to face Boston.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
When, in the farcical, action-oriented second half, some attempt to execute a … plot, they bumble and argue and push each other to the front.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2025
The research employed a combination of field and laboratory studies, starting with quantifying pesticide residues at suitable hibernation sites for bumble bee queens on Ontario farms.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2024
There was the sound like a great matted yellow hive of bees within a dark bellows, the lazy bumble of a purring lion.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
The Steelers had bumbled into the decisive Week 18 contest by managing the impossible and losing to Shedeur Sanders and Cleveland the week before, extending Baltimore’s life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
I bumbled my way through an explanation of not having had my coffee yet and leaving them in the car by mistake.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025
The misstep and bumbled efforts to correct it, which left many unable to work their speakers, infuriated the brand’s loyal customers and took a toll on the company’s bottom line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2025
The Chinese balloon that bumbled its way across the U.S. prompted many questions about its real intent.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2023
Lydia pulled herself from her reverie just as Travis bumbled into Good News, his hair still wet from the shower.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
It’s also true of how the ICE agents are portrayed as bumbling “mall cops,” white and Latino people from border communities who need a job.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
The two outcomes show how three years into the NFL’s new kickoff rules, teams are still bumbling through the search for optimal moves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Blunt stole the show with laugh-out-loud one-liners, often delivered dripping with contempt to Hathaway’s bumbling newbie second assistant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
In that Peacock series, Elizabeth Banks’ Lindy Littlejohn is a best-selling author tired of diminishing her well-earned reputation to placate her husband, a bumbling scientist.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
On the stairs there were bumbling uncertain footsteps and through the door came Mack.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
