fumbling Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. verb feel about uncertainly or blindly
   grope; fumble.
   
   • She groped for her glasses in the darkness of the bedroom
2. verb make one's way clumsily or blindly
   fumble; blunder.
   
   • He fumbled towards the door
3. verb handle clumsily
   fumble.
   
4. verb make a mess of, destroy or ruin
   muck up; foul up; blow; botch up; botch; bollix; fumble; mishandle; bollocks; bumble; ball up; bobble; bollocks up; spoil; bollix up; fuck up; fluff; flub; bodge; muff; louse up; mess up; screw up; bungle.
   
   • I botched the dinner and we had to eat out
   • the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement
5. verb drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder
   fumble.
   
   • fumble a grounder
6. adjective satellite showing lack of skill or aptitude
   clumsy; bungling; incompetent.
   
   • a bungling workman
   • did a clumsy job
   • his fumbling attempt to put up a shelf

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