bumble

¹ American  

[buhm-buhl] / ˈbʌm bəl /

verb (used without object)

bumbled, bumbling

1. to bungle or blunder awkwardly; muddle.

   He somehow bumbled through two years of college.

2. to stumble or stagger.

3. to speak in a low, stuttering, halting manner; mumble.

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verb (used with object)

bumbled, bumbling

1. to do (something) clumsily; botch.

noun

1. an awkward blunder.

bumble ² American  

[buhm-buhl] / ˈbʌm bəl /

verb (used without object)

bumbled, bumbling

1. to make a buzzing, humming sound, as a bee.

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bumble ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌmbəl /

verb

1. to speak or do in a clumsy, muddled, or inefficient way

   he bumbled his way through his speech

2. (intr) to proceed unsteadily; stumble

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noun

1. a blunder or botch

bumble ² British  

/ ˈbʌmbəl /

verb

1. (intr) to make a humming sound

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Other Word Forms

• bumbler noun
• bumbling noun

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

Example Sentences

Even George W. Bush — the bumbling boardwalk caricature that he is — could deliver a State of the Union address without going off-prompter.

From Salon

Several shared memes of Mr. Bean giving the middle finger, likening Iranian retaliatory attacks on the Gulf to the bumbling comedic character.

From The Wall Street Journal

I had to admit that Elliot’s quick thinking was pretty impressive, while I bumbled around, obviously clueless about what was going on or where exactly I was.

From Literature

You’re going to get a refresh of the QB’s bumbling history against the Patriots—including the miserable night with the Jets when he complained he was “seeing ghosts”—but this dude isn’t that dude.

From The Wall Street Journal

Plus, they also received the annual charity of padding their record with two games against the bumbling New York Jets.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bobble
• bungle
• stumble