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
Relevance
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?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumble
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Despite the stumble, Horan was clearly savoring every second.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
But Musk stumbled at least seven times in ways that possibly put his chances at winning in jeopardy.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
That makes the first-quarter stumble particularly notable.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Despite the stumble, Horan was clearly savoring every second.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
Right-hander Roki Sasaki strengthened his case Saturday with a quality start, despite some hiccups, as the Dodgers fell 3-2 to the Cardinals, extending their losing streak to four games.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Jupiter Jupiter, as darkness falls, will be roughly one-third up from the western horizon to the point directly overhead.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The contestants struggled mighty hard with the songs.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pornographic deepfake images of her have circulated online, making the singer the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and antiabuse groups have struggled to fix.—
Maria Sherman,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Redick has had to shuffle the roster pieces around since, using the final five games of the regular season to assess his rotation options without Doncic and Reaves, who also missed 19 straight games from Christmas until February with a strained calf.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
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Parkinson’s stem cell trial is underway at UM At the University of Miami, neurologists are testing AI’s capabilities to shuffle through patient data to spot patterns that can help predict which patients may experience rapid decline.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But there’s a risk the Commission will fumble.—
Parmy Olson,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Magic became stagnant and settled for poor shots while the Pistons took full advantage of Orlando’s mistakes.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
-
In fact, many passengers unknowingly make small mistakes in premium cabins that can affect both their own comfort and the overall flight experience.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Gold prices could drop to $4,000 per ounce There's a chance the gold prices take a tumble again, especially given their most recent uptick.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Recall that a flagellar motor switches directions, causing the bacterium to tumble, when environmental conditions seem to be getting worse.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Disney shares slipped around 1% on the news in Tuesday trading.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While the seven-round draft feels exhaustive each year, the truth is good prospects, even Hall of Fame caliber ones, can slip through.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dedicating that much shelf space to the New York Yankees, as your organization gets stomped into the ground by them, at home?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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