Right word to describe this kind of search
How do you describe the following kind of 'search' in one word?
A blind man searching for a faucet in a room
OR
A normal man searching for a faucet in a dark room
Is it fumbling, scouring, scouting, scrounging, or something else?
To grope: (from TFD)
(usually foll by: for) to feel or search about uncertainly (for something) with the hands
to search for something by reaching or touching usually with your fingers in an awkward way
to move forward carefully by putting your hands in front of you so that you can feel anything that blocks you
- he groped for the light switch in the dark room
- she groped for the cell phone in her purse.
or:
feel around (for someone or something) and feel about(for someone or something):
- to try to find someone or something by feel [rather than sight]. He felt around for the soap in the bathtub. She felt about for the dog at the foot of the bed, but it wasn't there. Gerald felt about for a pencil.
The word you've narrowed down appears to be the best fit- fumble - “He fumbled towards the door”
feel about uncertainly or blindly
handle clumsily (metaphorically)
However, fumbling is an uncoordinated movement that can involve your entire body, not just your hands.
What if your movements weren't quite as spastic? What if the blind man had been in that bathroom a thousand times? What if the situation called for caution?
"Within the total darkness of the room, he calculated the location of the live socket and installed a bulb."
"Unencumbered by the darkness, the blind man deftly negotiated the staircase."
(blind man/deft - kinda cute... n'est pas?)