bumbling
Americanadjective
-
liable to make awkward blunders.
a bumbling mechanic.
-
clumsily incompetent or ineffectual.
bumbling diplomacy.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bumbling
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.
Charlie Chaplin’s famous bumbling, mustachioed character known as the Tramp, who waddles and wears a bowler hat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
But I always thought of it as kind of a portrait of parenthood, bumbling through parenting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
What Lily couldn’t have foreseen, of course, was that her amateur detective skills would become necessary when, one day, George is found dead, and the investigation by a bumbling local policeman isn’t up to snuff.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
"The island would not be the same without him. He's still bumbling, still a wee bit getting the wrong end of the stick quite a lot."
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
That was the path he had chosen: to die to all who knew him, and to all he knew—his devoted wife, his bumbling, nearsighted son, his palatial home, his vast fortune.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
