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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

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

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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