bumble

¹

[ buhm-buhl ]

verb (used without object)

, bum·bled, bum·bling.

1. to bungle or blunder awkwardly; muddle:

   He somehow bumbled through two years of college.

2. to stumble or stagger.
3. to speak in a low, stuttering, halting manner; mumble.

verb (used with object)

, bum·bled, bum·bling.

1. to do (something) clumsily; botch.

noun

1. an awkward blunder.

bumble

²

[ buhm-buhl ]

verb (used without object)

, bum·bled, bum·bling.

1. to make a buzzing, humming sound, as a bee.

bumble

¹

/ ˈbʌmbəl /

verb

1. to speak or do in a clumsy, muddled, or inefficient way

   he bumbled his way through his speech

2. intr to proceed unsteadily; stumble

noun

1. a blunder or botch

bumble

²

/ ˈbʌmbəl /

verb

1. intr to make a humming sound

Derived Forms

• ˈbumbler, noun
• ˈbumbling, nounadjective

Other Words From

• bumbler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bumble¹

1525–35; perhaps blend of bungle and stumble

Origin of bumble²

1350–1400; Middle English bomblen, frequentative of bomben to boom, buzz; imitative

Word History and Origins

Origin of bumble¹

C16: perhaps a blend of bungle + stumble

Origin of bumble²

C14 bomblen to buzz, boom, of imitative origin

Example Sentences

"We found that larger bumble bee queens, typically more likely to survive winter and establish successful colonies, were paradoxically more vulnerable to pesticide exposure," Dr. Rondeau explains.

From Science Daily

Right now, L.A.’s leaders are as bumbling as Orange County’s Angels.

From Los Angeles Times

That was a lucky break for Walz, who bumbled his way through an explanation of the China discrepancy, pleading that he is a “knucklehead” who gets “caught up in the rhetoric.”

From Los Angeles Times

An authentic if bumbling Walz wasn’t ready to slap down his lies.

From Salon

The year before the 2003 recall, GOP primary voters handily rejected a similar moderate, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, in favor of a much more conservative nominee, the bumbling Bill Simon Jr.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bobble
• bungle
• stumble