Tâtons (en. Let's grope)

/ta.tɔ̃/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

The act of touching or groping something timidly or hesitantly.

He fumbles to check the quality of the dough.

Il fait des tâtons pour vérifier la qualité de la pâte.

The manner of doing something without certainty.

The fumbles of a novice in the kitchen can sometimes yield surprising results.

Les tâtons d'un novice en cuisine peuvent parfois donner des résultats surprenants.

verb

To fumble means to seek to touch or find something with one's hands.

She fumbles in the dark to find the switch.

Elle tâtonne dans le noir pour trouver le commutateur.

Derived from the verb to fumble, which comes from Old French 'tatun', meaning 'to touch lightly'.

fumbling in the dark

To act without knowing where one is going, with caution.

tâtons dans l'obscurité

to make fumbles

To act hesitantly.

faire des tâtons

to touch

To touch to feel, examine.

tâter

palpation

The action of touching to examine an object or a person.

palpation

exploration

The action of exploring or searching for something.

exploration

To hesitate or be uncertain in a situation.

He is in a state of fumbles regarding his professional future.

Il est dans un état de tâtons concernant son avenir professionnel.

To do something without strategy.

In this game, we fumble a lot before succeeding.

Dans ce jeu, on tâtonne beaucoup avant de réussir.