fumble
To handle something clumsily or keep dropping it.
fumble in a sentence
- Ravi fumbled with the keys in the dark and dropped them twice before opening the door.
- Nervous on stage, the actor began to fumble with his props and dropped the crown twice.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to fumble?
- Agrip
- Bcatch
- Cbungle
- Dhold
Show the answer
C: bungle. The other three mean the opposite of fumble.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to fumble?
- Adrop
- Bslip
- Ccatch
- Dbungle
Show the answer
C: catch. The other three mean nearly the same as fumble.
Words that mean something similar
bungle, drop, slip
Words that mean the opposite
catch, grip, hold
More words about movement & action
- gingerly: Very carefully and gently, so that nothing goes wrong.
- glide: To move smoothly and quietly, without any effort.
- grapple: To wrestle or struggle with something difficult.
- gruelling: So hard and tiring that it completely wears you out.
- hamper: To make it hard for someone to do something.
- hasty: Done too quickly and without thinking.
- hectic: Extremely busy and full of rushing about.
- hinder: To make something harder to do or slow it down.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test