stumble across/on/onto/upon

phrase

: to find or learn about (something) unexpectedly

I stumbled across/on/upon this book by chance.

We stumbled onto/across the ruins of an old fort.

They stumbled on/upon a bizarre plot.

He stumbled onto the truth.

Examples of stumble across/on/onto/upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jackson performed the national anthem before the New York Mets’ opening night game at Citi Field, and a brief stumble on the lyrics drew widespread attention on social media. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026

Unfortunately, Nakai popped the jump on Wednesday, completing just a double axel with a stumble on the ice. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026

There were no paths, leaving artworks in the landscape for people to stumble across unexpectedly. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 9 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