stumble

1 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 slip, fall, topple, trip, tumbleRelated Words collapse, crumple, drop, flump, keel, plop, plunk (or plonk), slump (over); crash, free-fall, nose-dive, plummet, plunge, precipitate, wipe out; skid, slideAntonyms get up, rise, stand (up), uprise

2 to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually <stumbled twice while she was reciting the “Gettysburg Address”> Synonyms blunder, bumble, flog [British], limp, lumber, plod, struggle, flounder, trudgeRelated Words jog, shamble, shuffle; wallow, welter; falter, lurch, reel, stagger, sway, teeter, totter; fumble, muddleNear Antonyms coast, fly, glide, kilt, sail, zip, zoom

3 to move heavily or clumsily <the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth> Synonyms barge, clomp, clump, flog [British], flounder, galumph, lump, plod, pound, scuff, scuffle, shamble, shuffle, slog, slough, stamp, stomp, lumber, stump, tramp, tromp, trudgeRelated Words drag, flop, haul; blunder, careen, dodder, lurch, reel, stagger, sway, teeter, totter, waddle, weave, wobble (also wabble)Near Antonyms drift, float, hang, hover, poise, waftAntonyms breeze, coast, glide, slide, waltz, whisk

4 to make a mistake <that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air> Synonyms blunder, boob [British], flub, fluff, foul up, fumble, goof (up), louse up, mess (up), screw up, slip up, err, tripRelated Words nod; bobble, botch, bungle, butcher, foozle, mangle, mishandle, muff, murder; miscalculate, misconceive, miscount, miscue, misdeem, misgauge, misjudge, mistake; misconstrue, misinterpret, misunderstand