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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stumble
Goran Paun, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Frito-Lay was long a growth driver for PepsiCo, but the company’s snack division has also stumbled.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
But even that stumble isn't reason enough not to see it.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
That’s where many redesigns stumble.
—Goran Paun, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Frito-Lay was long a growth driver for PepsiCo, but the company’s snack division has also stumbled.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Eagles are still loaded with talent, and Friday's matchup offers a chance to prove their opening stumble was nothing more than a hiccup.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
But even that stumble isn't reason enough not to see it.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
National Weather Service meteorologists consider forecasting waterspouts during the late summer and fall whenever large, cool air masses overspread the waters of the Great Lakes.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The Department of Buildings told CBS News New York and News 12 Long Island that a 10-by-10-inch section of the ceiling collapsed due to possible water damage, and pieces of the building fell on customers dining inside.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After struggling in the first half, running back Jerrod Wiley got loose on an untouched 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of the next drive to put Heritage back up two scores at 30-21.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
-
An ugly sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates sunk their struggling offense to new depths and at least temporarily removed Will Smith from the equation.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Young Hamnet’s shuffling off this mortal coil once laid the groundwork for a masterpiece.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Shelters that shuffle people in and out overnight don’t solve anything.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
San Francisco’s star defensive end tackled running back Ken Walker III for no gain on first-and-5 from the 9-yard line, then pushed right tackle Abe Lucas back in the pocket on second down, causing Darnold to fumble.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver also caused Derrick Henry to fumble – the running back’s only blemish during the night.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Having the confidence to make tough decisions, to trust your team, to learn from your mistakes, and to keep moving forward.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
8 Sep. 2025
-
That, in my opinion, is a mistake.—
Arthur Azizov,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Her life took quite a different and unexpected tumble, though, in 2011 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 34.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Shares of Palantir Technologies, the data-analytics firm widely viewed as an AI bellwether, plunged more than 9%, its worst tumble since March, after prominent short-seller Andrew Left of Citron Research renewed his bearish stance.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The ball slipped through Mason’s hands, and what would have been a touchdown turned into a turnover on downs, effectively ending the 49ers’ comeback hopes.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
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By the episode's end, however, he's set his sights on Morgan, having surreptitiously slipped a note into her grocery bag.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Many in Hollywood were dubious as to whether Universal and Amblin could reboot the Jurassic franchise for a third time, and birth a new trilogy more than three decades after Steven Spielberg’s dinos first stomped onto the big screen in 1993’s Jurassic Park.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
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People expecting a state championship rematch between Benet and Marist in the Crimson Classic finals had those plans stomped upon Saturday when Lockport ended up surprising the Redwings 29-27, 18-25, 15-10 in the semifinals.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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