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"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shuffle
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 to fumble
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of stumble
Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Wendy had stumbled onto territory that Lizzo immediately deemed off the record.
—Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
But even that stumble isn't reason enough not to see it.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
The trio stumbles upon a crucial piece of evidence - and promptly compromises it.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Wendy had stumbled onto territory that Lizzo immediately deemed off the record.
—Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Eagles are still loaded with talent, and Friday's matchup offers a chance to prove their opening stumble was nothing more than a hiccup.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
But even that stumble isn't reason enough not to see it.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
National Weather Service meteorologists consider forecasting waterspouts during the late summer and fall whenever large, cool air masses overspread the waters of the Great Lakes.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The Department of Buildings told CBS News New York and News 12 Long Island that a 10-by-10-inch section of the ceiling collapsed due to possible water damage, and pieces of the building fell on customers dining inside.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Almost half of those who abided by boundaries (45%) reported low burnout, compared to 6% of those who struggled to do so.—
Samantha Dewalt,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Young Hamnet’s shuffling off this mortal coil once laid the groundwork for a masterpiece.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Shelters that shuffle people in and out overnight don’t solve anything.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
San Francisco’s star defensive end tackled running back Ken Walker III for no gain on first-and-5 from the 9-yard line, then pushed right tackle Abe Lucas back in the pocket on second down, causing Darnold to fumble.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver also caused Derrick Henry to fumble – the running back’s only blemish during the night.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Having the confidence to make tough decisions, to trust your team, to learn from your mistakes, and to keep moving forward.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
8 Sep. 2025
-
That, in my opinion, is a mistake.—
Arthur Azizov,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Jobs took a separate big tumble on September 5 when the jobs numbers for August came out.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
According to Burlison, the video shows a high-speed object—presumably the missile—hitting the orb, which then deforms, tumbles, and sheds smaller fragments, one barely visible.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The ball slipped through Mason’s hands, and what would have been a touchdown turned into a turnover on downs, effectively ending the 49ers’ comeback hopes.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
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By the episode's end, however, he's set his sights on Morgan, having surreptitiously slipped a note into her grocery bag.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Most tourists don't come to Abu Dhabi to put on a thick coat and stomp around a snowy landscape but theme park fans are the exception.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
That certainly looked to be the case as the Indianapolis Colts stomped the Miami Dolphins 33-8 in the regular-season opener.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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