# bumble

/ˈbəmbəɫ/ (US) · /bˈʌmbəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bumble
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to move clumsily

verb · CEFR B2

to move or act in an awkward, clumsy, or confused way.

For teachers: to move or act in an awkward, clumsy, or stumbling manner, often due to a lack of coordination or confidence.

- He bumbled around the dark room, trying to find the light switch.
- The new intern bumbled through the office, accidentally knocking over a stack of files while searching for the printer.

### 2. to speak unclearly

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to speak in a confused way for a long time, often making it hard for others to understand.

For teachers: to speak in a rambling, incoherent, or indistinct manner, typically at tedious length.

- The speaker began to bumble, losing his place in the notes.
- The politician began to bumble when asked about the specific details of the budget, failing to provide a coherent answer.

### 3. to do a task badly

verb · CEFR B2

to do a job or task very badly or with many mistakes.

For teachers: to perform a task clumsily or incompetently; to bungle or botch an assignment.

- The team bumbled the project so badly that they had to start over.
- The administration bumbled the rollout of the new software, leading to widespread system failures across the entire department.

### 4. a bee

noun · CEFR C2 · Dialect · British English

a short name for a bumblebee.

For teachers: a colloquial or dialectal term for a bumblebee.

- A large bumble landed on the flower in the garden.
- The children watched a fuzzy bumble move from clover to clover in the meadow.

## Examples

- The bee bumbles around the flowers looking for nectar.
- He bumbled through the interview, forgetting several key points of his own resume.
- The old man bumbled into the room, his movements slowed by age and his mind clouded by the morning's medication.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.