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

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
The town's only hospital hummed with ambulances, burial teams and a steady stream of patients.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 July 2026

Definition of hummed

Verb

That same day, 260 miles west, the mayor of another Saskatchewan town was sitting on the end of a fishing dock when his phone buzzed with a text message.

— Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
The Navy flight that buzzed the Renton, Washington training facility on the Southeastern shore of Lake Washington lasted much of the football team's first padded practice.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of buzzed

Verb

Back up in his own end zone, Robinson blew past outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, made the snag from Tagovailoa and jogged the rest of the way to the goal line.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The Banana Ball World Tour blew through Boise last weekend, bringing two nights of family-friendly, wacky baseball to Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of blew

Verb

People half his age with serious mountain experience struggled and marvelled at him leading them to the top.

— Andy Mitten, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Whisenhunt had struggled in his last three starts leading up to Tuesday, allowing 14 earned runs and walking nine batters over his last 11 2/3 innings.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of struggled

Verb

Oil prices fell Monday even as diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz sputtered.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
The redshirt junior signal caller sputtered to start the first half of 2025, but by November, Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in the country and should carry that over into this year.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026

Definition of sputtered

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“Bumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumbled. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of bumbled

verb (1)

verb (2)

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