fumble

American  

[fuhm-buhl] / ˈfʌm bəl /

verb (used without object)

fumbled, fumbling

1. to feel or grope about clumsily.

   She fumbled in her purse for the keys.

2. Sports.  to fumble the ball.

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verb (used with object)

fumbled, fumbling

1. to make, handle, etc., clumsily or inefficiently.

   to fumble an attempt; He fumbled his way through the crowded room.

   Synonyms:

   muff , spoil , mishandle , botch , bungle

2. Sports.  to fail to hold or maintain hold on (a ball) after having touched it or carried it.

noun

1. the act of fumbling.

   We completed the difficult experiment without a fumble.

2. Sports.  an act or instance of fumbling the ball.

fumble British  

/ ˈfʌmbəl /

verb

1. (intr; often foll by for or with) to grope about clumsily or blindly, esp in searching

   he was fumbling in the dark for the money he had dropped

2. (intr; foll by at or with) to finger or play with, esp in an absent-minded way

3. to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

   he fumbled the introduction badly

4. to fail to catch or grasp (a ball, etc) cleanly

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noun

1. the act of fumbling

Other Word Forms

• fumbler noun
• fumblingly adverb
• fumblingness noun
• outfumble verb (used with object)
• unfumbled adjective
• unfumbling adjective

Etymology

Origin of fumble

1500–10; akin to Norwegian, Swedish fumla, Middle Low German fummeln to grope, fumble

Example Sentences

Last week in the Division 3 semifinal against Edison, Rakowski dove for a fumbled ball, trapping and breaking his right thumb in the process.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence derailed spectacularly - with four straight punts, a missed field goal and then a fumble handing chance after chance to the Cowboys.

From BBC

He also took two sacks, fumbled once and threw an interception.

From The Wall Street Journal

Afterward Barkley shouldered the blame for his struggles—and that costly fumble.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Bruins coughed up two fumbles in the first half and would have lost a third had the Huskies not been called for defensive holding on the play, nullifying the turnover.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• botch
• flub
• mishandle
• screw up
• stumble