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Synonyms

stumblebum

American  
[stuhm-buhl-buhm] / ˈstʌm bəlˌbʌm /

noun

Informal.
  1. a clumsy, second-rate prizefighter.

  2. a clumsy, incompetent person.


Etymology

Origin of stumblebum

First recorded in 1930–35; stumble + bum 1

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:

Rocky Balboa is a stumblebum club fighter making $65 a fight and working on the side as collection man for small-time mobsters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Her fatal flaw was that she stumbled at the wrong time and the adorable stumblebum failed with slightly more flair.

From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2020

His Jimmy Olsen was eager and full of good intentions and gee-whillickers naivete but also a bit of a stumblebum who provided the show's comic relief.

From Reuters ● Sep. 21, 2015

There was a photo of him, his eyes in the half-closed style of a stumblebum, stumbling away from a police officer.

From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2015

Are you actively trying to repel your heterosexual female fan base with these stumblebum shenanigans?

From Time ● May 15, 2012

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