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