fumble
- fumble
fum|ble [ˈfʌmbəl] v
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language]
1.) also fumble around [I and T]
to try to hold, move, or find something with your hands in an awkward way
fumble at/in/with
▪ She dressed, her cold fingers fumbling with the buttons.
fumble for
▪ I fumbled around in my bag for a cigarette.
▪ She reached round to fumble the light on.
2.) [I and T]
if you fumble with your words when you are speaking, you have difficulty saying something
fumble for
▪ Asked for an explanation, Mike had fumbled for words.
▪ The second candidate fumbled her lines.
3.) [I and T]
to drop a ball after catching it
▪ Quarterback Rattay was hit and fumbled the ball.
>fumble n
>fumbling n
Dictionary of contemporary English.
2013.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Fumble — Fum ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fumbled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fumbling}.] [Akin to D. fommelen to crumple, fumble, Sw. fumla to fusuble, famla to grope, Dan. famle to grope, fumble, Icel. falme, AS. folm palm of the hand. See {Feel}, and cf. {Fanble} … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fumble — (v.) mid 15c., handle clumsily, possibly from O.N. falma to fumble, grope. Similar words in Scandinavian and North Sea Germanic suggest onomatopoeia from a sound felt to indicate clumsiness (Cf. bumble, stumble, and obsolete English famble,… … Etymology dictionary
fumble — ► VERB 1) use the hands clumsily while doing or handling something. 2) (of the hands) do or handle something clumsily. 3) (fumble about/around) move about clumsily using the hands to find one s way. 4) express oneself or deal with something… … English terms dictionary
Fumble — Fum ble, v. t. To handle or manage awkwardly; to crowd or tumble together. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fumble — index miscue, mismanage Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
fumble — vb *botch, bungle, muff, cobble Analogous words: blunder, flounder, *stumble … New Dictionary of Synonyms
fumble — [v] bumble, mess up bollix*, botch*, bungle*, err, feel, flounder, flub*, fluff*, goof*, grapple, grope, lose the handle*, louse up*, misfield, mishandle, mismanage, scrabble*, screw up*, spoil, stumble; concepts 101,181 Ant. do well … New thesaurus
fumble — [fum′bəl] vi., vt. fumbled, fumbling [var. of ME famelen, prob. < ON famla, akin to Du fommeln, Ger fummeln] 1. to search (for a thing) by feeling about awkwardly with the hands; grope clumsily 2. to handle (a thing) clumsily or unskillfully;… … English World dictionary
Fumble — A fumble in American and Canadian football is when a player, who has possession and control of the ball, drops the ball. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession. A fumble… … Wikipedia
Fumble — Ein Turnover bedeutet im American Football den Ballverlust und die Abgabe des Angriffrechts einer Mannschaft. Dies ist beim American Football schwerwiegend, da man ohne Angriffsrecht nur schwer punkten kann. Es gibt drei Arten des Turnovers:… … Deutsch Wikipedia
fumble — I UK [ˈfʌmb(ə)l] / US verb Word forms fumble : present tense I/you/we/they fumble he/she/it fumbles present participle fumbling past tense fumbled past participle fumbled 1) [intransitive] to try to hold, move, or find something using your hands… … English dictionary
