fumble

1 of 2

verb

fum·​ble ˈfəm-bəl How to pronounce fumble (audio)
fumbled; fumbling ˈfəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce fumble (audio)

intransitive verb

1
a
: to grope for or handle something clumsily or aimlessly
b
: to make awkward attempts to do or find something
fumbled in his pocket for a coin
c
: to search by trial and error
d
2
: to feel one's way or move awkwardly
3
a
: to drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder
b
: to lose hold of a football while handling or running with it

transitive verb

1
: to bring about by clumsy manipulation
2
a
: to feel or handle clumsily
b
: to deal with in a blundering way : bungle
3
: to make (one's way) in a clumsy manner
4
a
: misplay
fumble a grounder
b
: to lose hold of (a football) while handling or running
fumbler noun
fumblingly adverb

fumble

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of fumbling
2
: a fumbled ball

Examples of fumble in a Sentence

Verb She fumbled in her pocket for her keys. They fumbled a good opportunity to take control of the market. He was hit hard and fumbled on the 20-yard line. He fumbled the ball on the 20-yard line. Noun played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Bardem’s eyes don’t skip around the patio or wander away; his hands don’t absently fumble to check his phone. Hemal Jhaveri, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 Kansas City, down 10-3 at the half, came back in the third quarter to score on a field goal, and then a touchdown after recovering the ball when the 49ers fumbled a punt. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 In the second quarter alone, the Chiefs saw star tight end Travis Kelce bump head coach Andy Reid because he was apparently upset over not being on the field when Pacheco fumbled and star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed called for an unnecessary roughness penalty. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024 Isiah Pacheco fumbles after he’s tackled by Deommodore Lenoir. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024 The incident came after running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball close to scoring early in the second quarter, which would’ve given the Chiefs the lead over the San Francisco 49ers. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 Instead, the ball was controversially ruled incomplete, and two plays later Cam Newton was sacked in the end zone and fumbled. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 But on the next play, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled and the big play was wasted. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 The most excitement in the first half came when a frustrated Kelce bumped Reid on the sideline, knocking the Chiefs' 65-year-old coach a few steps back after teammate Isiah Pacheco fumbled inside the red zone during the second quarter. Rob Maaddi, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
In the third quarter, the Aztecs appeared to recover a BYU fumble on the 25-yard-line, but officials ruled no fumble. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 All-around achiever Last year, Bain played in all 13 games, amassing 44 tackles, 12 1/2 tackles for loss, a team-leading 7 1/2 sacks, one pass breakup, four quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Hardman’s 52-yard catch in the second quarter seemed destined to set up Kansas City’s first touchdown, but a fumble on the next play nullified that opportunity. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Wicks averaged an impressive 14.9 yards per catch, but his three fumbles were the most in the receivers group and are a concern. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Kansas City was frustrated, and no one fumed more than star tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce, after a massive Isiah Pacheco fumble early in the second quarter, berated Andy Reid on the sidelines. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 The Chiefs stopped the 49ers’ first possession with a fumble, forced by Leo Chanel and recovered by George Karlaftis. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 Then, Kelce was taken out of the game for the first-down play — a run off left tackle by Isiah Pacheco resulting in a fumble and a Chiefs turnover. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 Nearly 100 years ago, California center Roy Riegels picked up a Georgia Tech fumble. Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish fumla to fumble

First Known Use

Verb

1534, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fumble was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near fumble

Cite this Entry

“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fumble. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fumble

1 of 2 verb
fum·​ble ˈfəm-bəl How to pronounce fumble (audio)
fumbled; fumbling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce fumble (audio)
: to feel about for or handle something clumsily
fumbler noun

fumble

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of fumbling
2
: a fumbled ball

More from Merriam-Webster on fumble

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