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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Wife of Bath's Tale," Vocabulary from the narrative poem
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Look Both Ways
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
If I bumble that first line, we came to France for nothing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Could 9-8 be enough to bumble into the playoffs this season?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
The research employed a combination of field and laboratory studies, starting with quantifying pesticide residues at suitable hibernation sites for bumble bee queens on Ontario farms.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2024
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
I got this idea that I could try to draw or write something but bumbled around with it for a long time.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2023
The Chinese balloon that bumbled its way across the U.S. prompted many questions about its real intent.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 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
These include the theater’s posh director Meredith Potter; Stella’s bumbling surrogate father, Uncle Vernon; and the heartthrob P.L.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Lise has run-ins with other passengers aboard her flight and, once at her destination, befriends a bumbling, dotty widow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
So I read him unchallenging things, like the misadventures of the bumbling Mullah Nasruddin and his donkey.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
