bumble
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
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)
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:
Hansen would then make a dramatic entrance and interrogate the men, who would often stammer and bumble through the encounter before leaving.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
"With how important bumble bees are as pollinators, it made sense to try and understand more about what's going on in these tiny nectar wars, because they could have a big impact," Miner said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2025
Could 9-8 be enough to bumble into the playoffs this season?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
Despite all the heavy talk, the film is peppered with moments of levity - the director occasionally cuts away abruptly from tough conversations to run footage of soothing shorelines and bumble bees on flowers.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 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 United States has launched a thousand questions about its real intent.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
He bumbled in the gravel, dodged a rolling wheel, then ran to me and leaped into my arms.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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
"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
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 ● Mar. 11, 2026
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 ● Jan. 26, 2026
Such a pitiful little band of mourners, so bumbling without Mr. Birdsong or anybody else to tell us what to do.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions 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.
