fumble

fumble
    n 1: (sports) dropping the ball [syn: {fumble}, {muff}]
    v 1: feel about uncertainly or blindly; "She groped for her
         glasses in the darkness of the bedroom" [syn: {grope},
         {fumble}]
    2: make one's way clumsily or blindly; "He fumbled towards the
       door" [syn: {fumble}, {blunder}]
    3: handle clumsily
    4: 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" [syn: {botch}, {bodge},
       {bumble}, {fumble}, {botch up}, {muff}, {blow}, {flub},
       {screw up}, {ball up}, {spoil}, {muck up}, {bungle}, {fluff},
       {bollix}, {bollix up}, {bollocks}, {bollocks up}, {bobble},
       {mishandle}, {louse up}, {foul up}, {mess up}, {fuck up}]
    5: drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder; "fumble a
       grounder"
    

Fumble \Fum"ble\, v. t.
   To handle or manage awkwardly; to crowd or tumble together.
   --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Fumble \Fum"ble\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fumbled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Fumbling}.] [Akin to D. fommelen to crumple, fumble, Sw.
   fumla to fusuble, famla to grope, Dan. famle to grope,
   fumble, Icel. falme, AS. folm palm of the hand. See {Feel},
   and cf. {Fanble}, {Palm}.]
   1. To feel or grope about; to make awkward attempts to do or
      find something.
      [1913 Webster]

            Adams now began to fumble in his pockets.
                                                  --Fielding.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly; as, to
      fumble for an excuse. --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

            My understanding flutters and my memory fumbles.
                                                  --Chesterfield.
      [1913 Webster]

            Alas! how he fumbles about the domains.
                                                  --Wordsworth.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.
      [1913 Webster]

            I saw him fumble with the sheets, and play with
            flowers.                              --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]
    

87 Moby Thesaurus words for "fumble":
      bad job, ball up, be all thumbs, beat about, bevue, blow, blunder,
      blunder away, blunder into, blunder on, blunder upon, bobble,
      boggle, bollix, bollix up, bonehead play, boner, boo-boo, botch,
      bumble, bungle, butcher, clumsy performance, commit a gaffe,
      confound, confuse, drop, error, etourderie, faux pas, feel,
      feel around, feel for, flounder, flub, fluff, foozle, foul up,
      garble, gaucherie, goof up, grabble, grope, grope for, grump, hash,
      jumble, louse up, lumber, mar, mess, miscue, mishandle, mistake,
      mix up, mop, mouth, mow, muck up, muddle, muff, mug, murder,
      murmur, mutter, off day, pet, pi, play havoc with, play hob with,
      poke around, pout, pry around, riffle, sad work, scrabble,
      scramble, screw up, shuffle, slip, snafu, snarl up, spoil, stumble,
      swallow, trip, tumble