bumbles 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of bumble
as in hums
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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bumbles

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of bumble
1
as in fumbles
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
2
as in stumbles
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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3
as in sputters
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly overcome with stage fright, I could only bumble through the speech

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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 bumbles
Verb
Despite the seeming horror of it all, the world just bumbles onwards. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumbles
  1. hums
  2. fumbles
  3. stumbles
  4. sputters
  5. buzzes
  6. blows
  7. struggles
  8. chats
Verb
  • Best Time to Visit The best time to visit Delray Beach is from late April through early June, when the city still hums with energy but sheds the intensity of peak season.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026
  • This deck area positively hums with IG brunch-scene potential.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 June 2026
Definition of hums
Verb
  • Sims catches a hitch and turns up field but fumbles the ball while switching hands.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Definition of fumbles
Verb
  • Drunken dragonrider Ulf the White's rage proves pivotal Debaucherous dragonrider Ulf White (Tom Bennett) stumbles into playing a major role in the final battle with his dragon Silverwing.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Bartels and Howe pitched the movie as a love letter focusing on a single summer about a kid who stumbles into a restaurant and finds his calling.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • But for ordinary Americans, for those of us without fame, wealth, or connections, the machinery of justice often sputters.
    — Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
  • This will be a close game while the Eagles offense sputters against the Seahawks defense, and the offense hears a few boos in the second half.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Definition of sputters
Verb
  • While Ramses may continue its operations for a number of months, NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX mission—the name for the extended mission of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which sampled the asteroid Bennu—is set to swoop in after Apophis buzzes Earth.
    — Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 30 July 2026
  • Your social world buzzes with activity as Mercury and Venus harmonize in the skies.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of buzzes
Verb
  • But Mistral, which takes its name from a strong wind that blows from southern France, certainly has the wind at its back.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Grucci fireworks are stored in cement-block structures in rural Virginia—well spaced, in case one blows.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • Don’t wait until a leader is tapped on the shoulder to take a top job only to realize the leader struggles with collaboration or lacks executive presence.
    — Roberta Matuson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Only the collision between Manette, Darnay and Carton unleashes a complex love triangle as both men fight for her love and Manette struggles over whom to choose.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggles
Verb
  • Shuenemeyer regularly chats with other arborists from Maine to Washington, looking to identify and catalog historic varieties of apples.
    — Kevin Strong, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Some of the German Telegram chats date back to at least 2020, court documents show.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of chats

Browse Nearby Words

bumblers
bumbles
bumbling
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Cite this Entry

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

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