stumbled; stumbling
ˈstəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to fall into sin or waywardness
b
: to make an error : blunder
c
: to come to an obstacle to belief
2
: to trip in walking or running
3
a
: to walk unsteadily or clumsily
b
: to speak or act in a hesitant or faltering manner
4
a
: to come unexpectedly or by chance
stumble onto the truth
b
: to fall or move carelessly
Synonyms
Examples of stumble in a Sentence
Verb
I stumbled on the uneven pavement.
The horse stumbled and almost fell.
He stumbled drunkenly across the room.
He stumbled over to the table.
I heard him stumble over the unfamiliar words.
She stumbled through an apology.
The economy has stumbled in recent months.
Noun
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
has bones so brittle that a minor stumble could result in a serious break
Recent Examples on the Web
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
In footage of the bout, Lee stumbles around the arena in a daze once the fight stops, his face ripped and busted, a bright jam of blood covering his mouth and nose.
—Aaron Timms, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Designers like himself, who find attention or acclaim early on often tend to rush or stumble into establishing brands without much structure.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
The concept is built around a training method Lewis stumbled upon while at UCLA.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Antonoff’s creative process usually consists of some version of him stumbling his way toward a breakthrough.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
Fortune Nike stumbles Nike CEO John Donahoe is rolling back some elements of his strategy as sales slump.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Now in his second year at the helm, Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Gulden is trying to orchestrate another era of fast growth at Adidas and close the gap with industry leader Nike, which has stumbled in recent quarters with a sales slowdown and inventory missteps.
—Tim Loh, Fortune Europe, 17 Apr. 2024
The inciting incident of the Coens’ best picturing-winning neo-Western involves Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss stumbling across multiple dead bodies in the desert, as part of a drug deal gone wrong.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024
Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 19 Apr. 2024
Morrissey and Lewis were appointed to the case in March 2023, after a series of stumbles by D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies and the original special prosecutor who charged Baldwin in January 2023.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
If its early stumbles turn out to be widespread trends, that will be a worrying sign for the bloc’s ability to hit its 2040 climate targets.
—John Ainger, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024
Even with Monday’s stumble, the stock is still up about 200% over the past six months, giving it a $6.6 billion valuation that defies logic.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Yes, there have been some stumbles, like last summer’s Haunted Mansion and Jo Koy comedy Easter Sunday, but these are outnumbered by the successes.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Alphabet had its biggest daily stumble since late October following the disappointing ad revenue figures for its most recent quarter.
—Damian J. Troise, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
Her biggest stumble came at the end of 2023, when she was asked about the cause of the Civil War during an event in New Hampshire.
—Cnn Com Wire Service, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2024
But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some stumbles along the way — some of them quite high-profile and embarrassing to the companies behind them.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Weinstock acknowledged Paramount Pictures’ stumble in 2019 with its first take on a film featuring the beloved Sonic the Hedgehog video game character.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
In footage of the bout, Lee stumbles around the arena in a daze once the fight stops, his face ripped and busted, a bright jam of blood covering his mouth and nose.
—Aaron Timms, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Designers like himself, who find attention or acclaim early on often tend to rush or stumble into establishing brands without much structure.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
The concept is built around a training method Lewis stumbled upon while at UCLA.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Antonoff’s creative process usually consists of some version of him stumbling his way toward a breakthrough.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
Fortune Nike stumbles Nike CEO John Donahoe is rolling back some elements of his strategy as sales slump.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Now in his second year at the helm, Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Gulden is trying to orchestrate another era of fast growth at Adidas and close the gap with industry leader Nike, which has stumbled in recent quarters with a sales slowdown and inventory missteps.
—Tim Loh, Fortune Europe, 17 Apr. 2024
The inciting incident of the Coens’ best picturing-winning neo-Western involves Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss stumbling across multiple dead bodies in the desert, as part of a drug deal gone wrong.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024
Noun
After an early stumble, the Clipper righted themselves and produced a season filled with ups and downs, new players and old issues (injuries).
—Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 19 Apr. 2024
Morrissey and Lewis were appointed to the case in March 2023, after a series of stumbles by D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies and the original special prosecutor who charged Baldwin in January 2023.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
If its early stumbles turn out to be widespread trends, that will be a worrying sign for the bloc’s ability to hit its 2040 climate targets.
—John Ainger, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024
Even with Monday’s stumble, the stock is still up about 200% over the past six months, giving it a $6.6 billion valuation that defies logic.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Yes, there have been some stumbles, like last summer’s Haunted Mansion and Jo Koy comedy Easter Sunday, but these are outnumbered by the successes.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Alphabet had its biggest daily stumble since late October following the disappointing ad revenue figures for its most recent quarter.
—Damian J. Troise, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
Her biggest stumble came at the end of 2023, when she was asked about the cause of the Civil War during an event in New Hampshire.
—Cnn Com Wire Service, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2024
But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some stumbles along the way — some of them quite high-profile and embarrassing to the companies behind them.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stumble
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stumble. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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