bumble

bum·ble ¹

 (bŭm′bəl)

v. bum·bled, bum·bling, bum·bles

v.intr.

1. To speak in a faltering manner.

2. To move, act, or proceed clumsily. See Synonyms at blunder.

3. To make a buzzing sound.

v.tr.

1. To say (something) in a faltering manner.

2. To bungle; botch: bumble one's lines in a play.

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[Perhaps blend of bungle and stumble.]

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bum′bler n.

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bum·ble ²

 (bŭm′bəl)

intr.v. bum·bled, bum·bling, bum·bles

To make a humming or droning sound; buzz.

n.

A humming or droning sound; a buzz.

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[Middle English bomblen, of imitative origin.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bumble

(ˈbʌmbəl)

vb

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

n

a blunder or botch

[C16: perhaps a blend of bungle + stumble]

ˈbumbler n

ˈbumbling n, adj

ˈbumblingly adv

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bumble

(ˈbʌmbəl)

vb

(intr) to make a humming sound

[C14 bomblen to buzz, boom, of imitative origin]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bum•ble¹

(ˈbʌm bəl)

v. -bled, -bling,
n. v.i.

1. to bungle or blunder awkwardly.

2. to stumble or stagger.

3. to mumble.

v.t.

4. to bungle or botch.

n.

5. an awkward blunder.

[1525–35]

bum′bler, n.

bum•ble²

(ˈbʌm bəl)

v.i. -bled, -bling.

to make a buzzing, humming sound.

[1350–1400; Middle English bomblen, frequentative of bomben to buzz]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

bumble

Past participle: bumbled
Gerund: bumbling

Imperative

bumble

bumble

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	bumble - 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" bobble, bodge, bollix, bollix up, bollocks, bollocks up, botch, botch up, bungle, flub, fluff, foul up, fuck up, louse up, mess up, mishandle, muck up, ball up, spoil, muff, screw up, fumble, blow go wrong, miscarry, fail - be unsuccessful; "Where do today's public schools fail?"; "The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"
	2.	bumble - walk unsteadily; "The drunk man stumbled about" stumble, falter walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"
	3.	bumble - speak haltingly; "The speaker faltered when he saw his opponent enter the room" stammer, stutter, falter mouth, speak, talk, verbalise, verbalize, utter - express in speech; "She talks a lot of nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

bumble

verb

1. stagger, reel, weave, sway, lurch, wobble, teeter, totter I finally bumbled out of the little bar.

2. blather, rabbit (on) (Brit. informal), ramble, waffle (informal, chiefly Brit.), burble, prattle, jabber, gabble, prate He bumbled his way through endless takes.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

bumble ¹

verb

1. To move awkwardly or clumsily:

blunder, stumble.

2. To proceed or perform in an unsteady, faltering manner:

blunder, bungle, flounder, fudge, fumble, limp, muddle, shuffle, stagger, stumble.

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bumble ²

verb

To make a continuous low-pitched droning sound:

burr, buzz, drone, hum, whir, whiz.

noun

A continuous low-pitched droning sound:

burr, buzz, drone, hum, whir, whiz.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

bumble

[ˈbʌmbl] VI (= walk unsteadily) → andar de forma vacilante, andar a tropezones (fig) → trastabillar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bumble

[ˈbʌmb^əl] vi (= proceed uncertainly) → avancer tant bien que mal

bumble about

vi → s'agiter sans résultat, s'affairer sans résultat

bumble around

vi → s'agiter sans résultat, s'affairer sans résultat

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bumble

[ˈbʌmbl] vi

a. (speak) → borbottare
what on earth are you bumbling about? → che diavolo stai borbottando?

b. (move) → muoversi goffamente

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995