bumbler

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

bum•ble¹ /ˈbʌmbəl/   v. [no object] , -bled, -bling. 

1. to do a poor job;
   bungle;
   muddle.
2. to stumble awkwardly or clumsily:
   He bumbled into the room.

bum•bler, n. [countable]

bum•ble² /ˈbʌmbəl/   v. [no object] , -bled, -bling. 

1. to make a buzzing, humming sound, as a bee.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

bum•ble¹  (bum′bəl), v., -bled, -bling, n. 
v.i. 

1. to bungle or blunder awkwardly;
   muddle:
   He somehow bumbled through two years of college.
2. to stumble or stagger.
3. to speak in a low, stuttering, halting manner;
   mumble.

v.t. 

4. to do (something) clumsily;
   botch.

n. 

5. an awkward blunder.

• perh. blend of, blended bungle and stumble 1525–35

bum′bler, n. 

bum•ble²  (bum′bəl), v.i., -bled, -bling. 

1. to make a buzzing, humming sound, as a bee.

• 1350–1400; Middle English bomblen, frequentative of bomben to boom, buzz; imitative