fumbling
part of speech
adjective (fumbling, more fumbling); verb form (fumble, fumbles, fumbled, fumbling); noun (fumbling, a fumbling)
meaning for a pupil
1) Using your hands in a clumsy, unsure way, so you drop things or cannot do a job neatly. tree →
2) Searching for something awkwardly, for example in a pocket or in the dark. tree →
3) Speaking or acting in a nervous, unsure way, without finding the right words. tree →
4) (sport) Dropping or failing to hold a ball you should have caught, especially in American football or cricket. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, «fumbling» shows that a character is nervous, cold, in a hurry or in the dark: «fumbling with the keys» builds tension before a door opens. In sport it marks a mistake. In everyday life it describes clumsy hands, for example with buttons in gloves. Phrases: fumbling for the light switch, fumbling with buttons, fumbling for words, a fumbling attempt.
examples
- She was fumbling with her keys while the rain poured down. tree →
- He went fumbling for the light switch in the dark hall. tree →
- My fingers were so cold that I kept fumbling with my coat buttons. tree →
- Tom gave a fumbling answer because he had not done the reading. tree →
- The goalkeeper's fumbling let the ball slip into the net. tree →
- Fumbling in her bag, Gran finally found her glasses. tree →
- After some fumbling, the new boy managed to open his locker. tree →
- The quarterback's fumbling cost the team the game. tree →
- She sank down on the threshold, overcome with weariness, but in a moment was on her feet again, fumbling with the lock of the chest. tree →
note
It is the -ing form of the verb «fumble» (drop the e, add -ing). As an adjective it goes before a noun: a fumbling start. Do not confuse with «tumbling» (falling over and over) or «mumbling» (speaking unclearly), although someone can be fumbling and mumbling at once. «Fumbling for words» means struggling to speak, not using your hands.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «fumbling» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.