fumfer

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fumfer

/ˈfəmfər/ US
/ˈfʌmfə/ UK

Where it comes from

From Yiddish פֿאָנפֿען (fonfen, “to speak with a nasal twang, to mumble”) + English -er (frequentative suffix). First attested in 1954. Compare fumf.

verb fumfers · fumfering · fumfered · phumpher · fumper

US, ambitransitive, informal To speak awkwardly or evasively; to dither, waffle. She fumfered around and refused to give a straight answer.
Similar: fumfer, mutter, mouth, mumble, murmur
US, ambitransitive, informal To fiddle or fumble. I fumfered with the USB stick, trying and failing to plug it in.
Similar: feel around, fumble, scrabble, fish, forage, scramble, glaum, grabble, grope, grubble, poke

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MLA

"fumfer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fumfer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

fumfer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fumfer

Chicago

"fumfer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fumfer.

BibTeX

@misc{fumfer_2026,
  title = {fumfer},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fumfer},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}