stumble

verb

stum·​ble ˈstəm-bəl 

stumbled; stumbling ˈstəm-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fall into sin or waywardness

b

: to make an error : blunder

c

: to come to an obstacle to belief

2

: to trip in walking or running

3

a

: to walk unsteadily or clumsily

b

: to speak or act in a hesitant or faltering manner

4

a

: to come unexpectedly or by chance

stumble onto the truth

b

: to fall or move carelessly

transitive verb

1

: to cause to stumble : trip

2

: bewilder, confound

stumbler

ˈstəm-b(ə-)lər 

noun

stumblingly

ˈstəm-b(ə-)liŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of stumble

• fall
• slip
• trip
• tumble
• topple

Examples of stumble in a Sentence

I stumbled on the uneven pavement.

The horse stumbled and almost fell.

He stumbled drunkenly across the room.

He stumbled over to the table.

I heard him stumble over the unfamiliar words.

She stumbled through an apology.

The economy has stumbled in recent months.

Recent Examples on the Web

Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026

Soto, wounded, stumbled into the Wingstop seeking help. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026

When reading one lawsuit for the first time, O’Day stops and speaks to the camera, stumbling a bit. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect stumle to stumble

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing stumble

• stumble across/on/onto/upon
• stumble out of bed

Rhymes for stumble

• bumble
• crumble
• fumble
• grumble
• humble
• jumble
• mumble
• rumble
• tumble
• umbel

Kids Definition

stumble

verb

stum·​ble

ˈstəm-bəl

stumbled; stumbling

-b(ə-)liŋ

1

: to trip in walking or running

2

a

: to walk unsteadily

b

: to speak or act in a hesitant or clumsy manner

3

: to come or happen unexpectedly or by chance

stumbled onto the ruins of an old fort

stumble noun

stumbler

-b(ə-)lər

noun

stumblingly

-b(ə-)liŋ-lē

adverb