Meaning

7 senses
  1. (intransitive, transitive)To handle nervously or awkwardly.

    Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie.

    He fumbled the key into the lock.

    fummeln

    мятьmjatʹ, тереби́тьterebítʹ

    handle clumsily

  2. (intransitive, transitive)To grope awkwardly in trying to find something

    He fumbled for his keys.

    He fumbled his way to the light-switch.

    нащу́пыватьnaščúpyvatʹ, ша́ритьšáritʹ

    намацуватиnamacuvaty

  3. (intransitive)To blunder uncertainly.

    He fumbled through his prepared speech.

    мя́млитьmjámlitʹ

    feel about uncertainly or blindly

  4. To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly.

    to fumble for an excuse

  5. (intransitive, transitive)To drop a ball or a baton etc. by accident.

    patzen

  6. To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.

  7. (obsolete, slang)Of a man, to sexually underperform.

Examples

39 sentences
  1. Tom fumbled around in the darkness.

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  2. She fumbled with a piece of paper.

    ruОна теребила клочок бумаги.

    deSie machte sich an einem Stück Papier zu schaffen.

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  3. She fumbled with the glasses as she brought them in.

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  4. Tom fumbled in his pocket for the keys.

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  5. Tom fumbled the ball.

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Translations

7 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to grope awkwardly in trying to find something:
Русский
By meaning 3
to handle nervously or awkwardly:
to grope awkwardly in trying to find something:
to blunder uncertainly:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to handle nervously or awkwardly:
to drop a ball or a baton etc:

Origin

From late Middle English, from Low German fummeln, fommeln, fammeln (German fummeln), or D

From late Middle English, from Low German fummeln, fommeln, fammeln (German fummeln), or Dutch fommelen.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

fumbles, fumbling, fumbled, fumbled
Base formfumble · to fumble
3rd person singularfumbles
Present participlefumbling
Past simplefumbled
Past participlefumbled

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyfumble
he, she, itfumbles

Past simpleLesson

all personsfumbled

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave fumbled
he, she, ithas fumbled

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill fumble

Synonyms

27 synonyms
grope awkwardly:grubble
Close in meaning

Word family

9 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
fumble — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto