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
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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
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Page and her cameraman stumble onto the Kiritsis story very early on, and refuse to give it up once the higher-ups in the newsroom start paying attention as well.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 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
That's when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Page and her cameraman stumble onto the Kiritsis story very early on, and refuse to give it up once the higher-ups in the newsroom start paying attention as well.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
New residential property prices fell year-on-year during August in 65 out of 70 cities surveyed by the NBS, data also showed.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Penske’s complaint argues that practice isn’t a fair exchange and has caused significant financial harm, with the company’s affiliate revenue falling by more than a third (as a result of Google’s AI Overviews co-opting traffic that might have otherwise gone to Penske outlets).—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 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
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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
-
Gakpo is deeper, and Wirtz pushes forward as the central member of Liverpool’s forward line, while Ekitike shuffles across as the left of the trio.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Declining enrollment means the district may need to shuffle schools, students, or teachers to ensure each school is well attended, and the student-teacher ratios are well-balanced.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lucille Ball once lost her glasses on stage at the Emmys and had to fumble her way through.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Seconds thereafter, the Clippers fumbled the ball away once again, setting up Gloucester with another short field.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But Trump has seemed to suggest that the drone incident may have been a mistake.—
Michelle Stoddart,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Consumer Behavior Supports Continued Innovation One of leaders’ biggest mistakes during volatile periods is assuming all consumer behavior changes negatively.—
Talbott Roche,
Forbes.com,
15 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
-
What could have been a transformative meditation on mourning too often slips into surface-level spectacle, leaving the audience to piece together meaning from a scattershot collage of influences.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The attempt was tipped and brought in by Locke, who slipped loose into the secondary before taking off for a 64-yard touchdown reception.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
13 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
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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 18 Sep. 2025.
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