Other forms: bumbling, bumbles
To bumble is to blunder along in a muddled, incompetent way. Bumble through it, bumbling along, a bumbling official.
The participle is the commonest form, and a bumbling manner is fumbled words and dropped papers rather than any loss of footing. The word is affectionate as often as not, which is why it suits comic characters.
1verbbumbleTo blunder along in a muddled, incompetent way, fumbling words or actions rather than losing your footing.
“He bumbled through his speech, dropping his notes and losing his place twice.”
bumble is a blundering.
An imitative word, formed alongside bungle, jumble and fumble.
Onomatopoeia. Compare bungle, jumble, and fumble.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA