as in muttering
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in falling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily
the bride stumbled on the altar steps and landed smack in the arms of the minister
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in fumbling
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stumbling
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Before smartphones and social media, tracking it down (or stumbling upon it) was like uncovering a local secret.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
For them, a smarter alert can mean the difference between landing ready for a boardroom and stumbling in after an overnight airport stay.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
Below him, drunken partiers are stumbling back from a day in the unrelenting sun at the MGM Grand’s pool, many of them carrying inflatable tubes, and nearly all in various stages of undress.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—Barbara Ortutay, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Days can include stumbling across the set of Calabasas Confidential; Electra appears in the new Netflix reality show's fourth episode after stopping by her then-boyfriend's tattoo parlor.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—ABC News, 5 June 2026
Verb
Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Before smartphones and social media, tracking it down (or stumbling upon it) was like uncovering a local secret.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
For them, a smarter alert can mean the difference between landing ready for a boardroom and stumbling in after an overnight airport stay.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
Below him, drunken partiers are stumbling back from a day in the unrelenting sun at the MGM Grand’s pool, many of them carrying inflatable tubes, and nearly all in various stages of undress.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—Barbara Ortutay, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Days can include stumbling across the set of Calabasas Confidential; Electra appears in the new Netflix reality show's fourth episode after stopping by her then-boyfriend's tattoo parlor.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—ABC News, 5 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Adjective
-
And even the dragons almost count as a faltering institution.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
-
That order has been faltering, flouted repeatedly by the powerful who have faced no consequences for aggression, leaving the world overall more dangerous for everyone else.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
With little money and competitive standards falling, players started leaving Ghana earlier than before, and not always to go to Europe.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Video of the incident shows Backs being confronted and falling backward.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country’s struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
-
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country's struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
The model of shuffling that the new result depends on, like Bayer and Diaconis’ before it, still assumes that the cards riffle down one by one, rather than in clumps.—
John Pavlus,
Quanta Magazine,
17 June 2026
-
The Calgary Flames will play their final season at Scotiabank Saddledome before shuffling into Scotia Place in 2027.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump said, fumbling for words.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
-
But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Their biggest bats were sputtering, too.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
-
This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Australia's Alessandro Circati was given a yellow card after tripping USA's Malik Tillman on the field.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
-
The ban prohibits any item that could obstruct lifeguard views, overcrowd the beach, create tripping hazards, or hinder emergency responders.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The consequences ranged from hobbling Reconstruction to hastening the end of the Ottoman Empire to poisonous deflation, and the blundering response by governments helped shape the modern world.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
6 June 2026
-
The broadest of comedies, the film’s often puerile humor is driven by an endless stream of male bungling, blundering and whining, only to be kicked up a notch by pratfalls of nearly every variety, from getting bucked off a galloping horse to tripping into a pile of trash.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
