1
as in to fall
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to struggle
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"
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3
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth
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4
as in to fumble
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
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1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumble
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
The film following a pair of paranormal podcasters (Nina Kiri and Adam DiMarco) who stumble upon a disturbing set of recordings.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Too many people, particularly those in my age group, have been felled by a cold that morphed into pneumonia, or a UTI that landed them in the hospital, or a simple stumble on a floor mat that resulted in surgery and months of physical therapy.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
Florida stumbled so badly that the Gators fired coach Billy Napier.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
The film following a pair of paranormal podcasters (Nina Kiri and Adam DiMarco) who stumble upon a disturbing set of recordings.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
Riding the energy of the galleries at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Bhatia rebounded from a shaky opening nine and capitalized on late-round stumble by 54-hole leader Daniel Berger to prevail Sunday during a sudden-death playoff.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Too many people, particularly those in my age group, have been felled by a cold that morphed into pneumonia, or a UTI that landed them in the hospital, or a simple stumble on a floor mat that resulted in surgery and months of physical therapy.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
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By late Sunday night into Monday midday, a strong cold front clears the region, ending the storms and bringing gusty winds with falling temperatures through the day.—
Andrew Kozak,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Outside of Wall Street, stock indexes fell sharply in Europe following their wipeouts on Thursday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More surprisingly, strategies typically seen as beneficiaries of volatility have also struggled.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
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The two then struggled over their firearms.—
CBS Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stewart eventually shuffled out, commenting on how his bedhead resembled Little Richard’s.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lawyer suggested the doctors at the Meadows fumbled Spacey’s treatment because their program was geared toward addiction.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
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The Warriors had a chance to send the game to overtime on the final possession of regulation, but Post, who hit four 3s on the night, fumbled the catch and turned the ball over, leaving the Knicks with the ball as the shot clock expired.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But Colorado was lethal in its execution on the counterattack and capitalized on Sporting KC’s mistakes to win 4-1.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2026
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The previous supreme leader made the mistake of enriching uranium but never building a nuclear weapon; in effect, his nuclear program went far enough to provoke the West into sanctions and military strikes but not far enough to provide protection.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Also offering Ninja Warrior Day Camp with obstacle courses, trampoline, tumble track, rock wall and more.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
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The payoff for the rough and tumble pickup games came via D1 offers for both Jeremy and Jeremiah (and a first-round draft pick to the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans for Jeremiah).—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Doja’s assistant slips through, gives me the thumbs-up, and ushers me into a dressing room the size of a tennis court, black velvet curtains concealing the walls.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2026
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The Fighting Irish had slipped into seemingly perpetual mediocrity and unfulfilled expectations.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Frustration boiled over on the Huskies’ sideline as Hurley stomped his foot and earned a technical foul from referee James Breeding with 12 and a half minutes left in the half.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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In the span of six days, the Cornhuskers beat rival Creighton at home and stomped Wisconsin and then went to Illinois for their first Big Ten road game.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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