1. Handle clumsily
   "He fumbled with the keys in the dark"
    
2. Feel about uncertainly or blindly
   "She fumbled for her glasses in the darkness of the bedroom";
   - grope
    
3. Make one's way clumsily or blindly
   "He fumbled towards the door";
   - blunder
    
4. Badly mishandle or ruin something
   "I fumbled the dinner and we had to eat out";
   - botch, bodge [Brit, informal], bumble, botch up [informal], muff [informal], blow [informal], flub [N. Amer, informal], screw up [informal], spoil, muck up [informal], bungle, fluff [informal], bobble [N. Amer], mishandle, louse up [informal], foul up [informal], mess up, butcher, balls up [informal], cock up [Brit, informal], goof up [informal], make a hash of [informal]
    
5. (baseball) drop, juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder
   "fumble a grounder"
    
6. [slang] Fondle for sexual pleasure
   "The suspect was accused of fumbling the victim";
   - grope, feel up [slang], cop a feel [slang], touch up [Brit, slang]

1. (sport) dropping the ball
   "The running back's fumble at the goal line cost the team the game";
   - muff [informal]

Derived forms: fumbles, fumbling, fumbled

See also: grope for

Type of: bloomer [informal], blooper [N. Amer, informal], blue [Austral, NZ, informal], blunder, boner [N. Amer, informal], boob [Brit, informal], boo-boo [informal], botch, bungle, caress, fail, flub [N. Amer, informal], fondle, foul-up [informal], go wrong, goof [informal], handle, look for, miscarry, palm, pass, play, pratfall [informal], search, seek

Encyclopedia: Fumble