BUMBLED Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

bumbled 1 of 2

verb (1)

past tense of bumble

as in hummed

to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound a fly bumbling around the room while we were trying to sleep

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bumbled

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of bumble

as in fumbled

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way accused the White House staff of bumbling the announcement of the replacement for the cabinet post

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stumbled

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually I sort of bumbled through the dance number, hoping that it would soon end

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in chatted

to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bumbled

Verb

She was cast as Athena, the class ‘troublemaker’ was Odysseus, and the school’s headmaster bumbled around, one-eyed, as the Cyclops. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 17 July 2026 Except this time, the keeper’s save bumbled forward out of his hands and the ball dropped to Mikel Merino, who came to Spain’s rescue yet again. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 10 July 2026 As the Rockies bumbled through the 2025 season, The Athletic asked rival executives about hypothetical ways to fix the franchise. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 After the Knicks bumbled away Game 1 and eventually lost the series in six contests, New York fired former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau after five largely successful seasons. — Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025 The same year that Zipf secured his measure of posthumous fame, Harvard’s football team bumbled its way to a 1-8 record. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025 Which is a shame because Cuoco’s chemistry with on-screen husband Chris Messina was entertaining, especially as the couple bumbled their way through the true crime craze comedy. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 12 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbled

Verb

The bleachers were packed, and for the first time all day the air hummed with genuine enthusiasm.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
As the tattoo machine hummed across her leg, Savanna Georges watched another chapter of her faith take shape in ink.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of hummed

Verb

The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers.

— Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
On his second drive, Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

But most of the attempts to scale sodium-ion cells stumbled over short lifespans and poor heat tolerance.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
In her attempt to get away, the woman stumbled and injured her leg, screaming for help the whole time, police said.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of stumbled

Verb

At one of the first promotional events, Bullock briefly chatted about her time on the Miss Congeniality franchise.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Newsom, who chatted with lawmakers at the Capitol on Monday in what will be his last regular legislative session as governor, praised Lowenthal and the bill.

— Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of chatted

Verb

It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.

— Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
Playing the American League’s best team, the Padres had the final two games of the series in hand before the practically impermeable back end of their bullpen blew late leads.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of blew

Verb

Salas struggled offensively throughout 2024, missed almost all of 2025 because of a stress reaction in his back and plummeted on prospect lists as a result.

— Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Cuba’s daily grind takes its toll The day before classes started, Yurima Izaguirre struggled to pull up last year’s school uniform on the youngest of her three children.

— Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of struggled

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“Bumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbled. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bumbled

verb (1)

verb (2)

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