fumble

English

Alternative forms

• famble
• fimble

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʌmbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ʌmbəl

Etymology 1

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

Or, perhaps from a Scandinavian/North Germanic source; compare related Old Norse fálma, Icelandic fálma, Danish fumle, especially Swedish fumla, famla, with variants: fumbla (“fumble”), fambla (“famble”), related to Swedish fim, fem (Danish fim, Norwegian fim, feima), with a root meaning of “cover, coating of foam or figuratively ditto”, cognate to German Feim (“surf”) and English foam. Possibly has (a more or less unconscious) connection to fathom (via Old Norse faðmr, Swedish famn) in the sense of “embrace”.

The ultimate origin for either could perhaps be imitative of fumbling. Or, from Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to shake, swing”), see also Latin palpo (“I pat, touch softly”), and possibly Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan (“to feel”).

Verb

fumble (third-person singular simple present fumbles, present participle fumbling, simple past and past participle fumbled)

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

   Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie.

   He fumbled the key into the lock.

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

   He fumbled for his keys.

   He fumbled his way to the light-switch.

   • 1742, Henry Fielding, “In which the Gentleman Relates the History of His Life”, in The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. […], volume II, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book III, page 52:

     Adams novv began to fumble in his Pockets, and ſoon cried out, O la! I have it [a sermon] not about me— […]

3. (intransitive) To blunder uncertainly.

   He fumbled through his prepared speech.

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

   to fumble for an excuse

   • 1711 August 12, Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, letter to Dr. Chevenix:

     My understanding stutters, and my memory fumbles.

   • 1800, Wordsworth, Written in Germany on one of the coldest days of the century:

     Alas! how he fumbles about the domains.

5. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To drop a ball or a baton etc. by accident.
   • 2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Henderson's best strike on goal saw goalkeeper Kingson uncomfortably fumble his measured shot around the post.

6. To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.
   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

     I saw him fumble with the sheets, and play with flowers.

7. (slang, obsolete) Of a man, to sexually underperform. [16th to 18th c.]

Synonyms

• (grope awkwardly): grubble, poke; see also Thesaurus:feel around

Derived terms

• fumble-fingered
• fumble the bag

 

Translations

to handle nervously or awkwardly

• Assamese: খেপিওৱা (khepiüa)
• Bulgarian: бърникам (bg) (bǎrnikam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 摸索 (zh) (mōsuǒ, mōsuo)

• Danish: fumle
• Finnish: hamuilla, hapuilla (fi)
• French: tripoter (fr)
• Galician: tentar (gl)
• German: fummeln (de)
• Hungarian: babrál (hu), matat (hu)
• Italian: giocherellare (it), armeggiare (it)
• Japanese: いじり回す (いじりまわす, ijirimawasu)
• Maori: pakihawa
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fomle (no)

• Russian: мять (ru) (mjatʹ), тереби́ть (ru) (terebítʹ)
• Scots: fummle
• Spanish: cantar (es), perder el balón

to grope awkwardly in trying to find something

• Assamese: খেপিওৱা (khepiüa)
• Bulgarian: тършувам (bg) (tǎršuvam)
• Finnish: hamuilla, hapuilla (fi)
• French: tâtonner (fr)
• Hungarian: kotorászik (hu), keresgél (hu), tapogatózik (hu), tapogat (hu)
• Indonesian: meraba-raba (id)
• Italian: annaspare (it), frugare (it)
• Japanese: 探り回す (さがりまわす, sagarimawasu)
• Kabuverdianu: palpa, palpá
• Maori: whāwhā, hārau
• Polish: szperać (pl) impf
• Russian: нащу́пывать (ru) (naščúpyvatʹ), ша́рить (ru) (šáritʹ)
• Scots: fummle
• Swedish: famla (sv)
• Ukrainian: намацувати (namacuvaty)

to blunder uncertainly

• Finnish: munata (fi), möhlätä (fi)
• Hungarian: ügyetlenkedik (hu), akadozik (hu), hebeg (hu), habog (hu), hebeg-habog, dadog (hu)
• Italian: farfugliare (it), balbettare (it)
• Maori: ninipa, pakihawa
• Russian: мя́млить (ru) (mjámlitʹ) (to blunder through speech)
• Scots: fummle
• Swedish: fumla sig, fumla (sv)

to drop a ball or a baton etc

• Bulgarian: изпускам (bg) (izpuskam)
• Finnish: sählätä (fi)
• German: patzen (de)
• Hungarian: elejt (hu), kiejt (hu)

Noun

fumble (plural fumbles)

1. (sports, American football, Canadian football) A ball etc. that has been dropped by accident.

Translations

ball that has been dropped

• German: Fumble (de) m or n

Etymology 2

Blend of fool +‎ crumble.

Noun

fumble (plural fumbles)

1. (British) A dessert similar to a cross between a fool and a crumble.

Further reading

• fumble on Wikipedia.Wikipedia