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bumble

1
[ buhm-buhl ]
/ ˈbʌm bəl /
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See synonyms for: bumble / bumbling / bumbler on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object), bum·bled, bum·bling.
to bungle or blunder awkwardly; muddle: He somehow bumbled through two years of college.
to stumble or stagger.
to speak in a low, stuttering, halting manner; mumble.
verb (used with object), bum·bled, bum·bling.
to do (something) clumsily; botch.
noun
an awkward blunder.
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Origin of bumble

1
1525–35; perhaps blend of bungle and stumble

OTHER WORDS FROM bumble

bumbler, noun

Words nearby bumble

bum, bum around, bum bag, bumbailiff, bumbershoot, bumble, bumblebee, bumblebeefish, bumbleberry, bumbledom, bumblefoot

Other definitions for bumble (2 of 2)

bumble2
[ buhm-buhl ]
/ ˈbʌm bəl /
verb (used without object), bum·bled, bum·bling.
to make a buzzing, humming sound, as a bee.

Origin of bumble

2
1350–1400; Middle English bomblen, frequentative of bomben to boom, buzz; imitative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to bumble

bobble, bungle, stumble, blunder, jumble, muffle

How to use bumble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bumble (1 of 2)

bumble1
/ (ˈbʌmbəl) /
verb
to speak or do in a clumsy, muddled, or inefficient wayhe bumbled his way through his speech
(intr) to proceed unsteadily; stumble
noun
a blunder or botch

Derived forms of bumble

bumbler, nounbumbling, noun, adjective

Word Origin for bumble

C16: perhaps a blend of bungle + stumble

British Dictionary definitions for bumble (2 of 2)

bumble2
/ (ˈbʌmbəl) /
verb
(intr) to make a humming sound

Word Origin for bumble

C14 bomblen to buzz, boom, of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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