Fumble
WordNet
noun
(1) (sports) dropping the ball
verb
(2) Drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder
"Fumble a grounder"
(3) Handle clumsily
(4) Feel about uncertainly or blindly
"She groped for her glasses in the darkness of the bedroom"
(5) Make one's way clumsily or blindly
"He fumbled towards the door"
(6) Make a mess of, destroy or ruin
"I botched the dinner and we had to eat out"
"The pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
Origin uncertain; perhaps from a Scandinavian source. Compare Old Norse , Swedish , Danish .
Verb
- To idly touch or nervously handle
- Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie
- He fumbled the key into the lock
- To grope awkwardly in trying to find something
- He fumbled for his keys
- He fumbled his way to the light-switch
- To blunder uncertainly
- He fumbled through his prepared speech
- To drop a ball or a baton etc