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

When attached to a character, indeterminacy manifests itself as confusion, and the novel mines a lot of humor from the bumbling of its poet-antihero.

From The Wall Street Journal

Which was so typical: the bumbling mammals wreaking havoc, even when no havoc was intended.

From Literature

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

Related Words

• bobble
• bungle
• stumble