stumble 1 of 2

verb

ˈstəm-bəl How to pronounce stumble (audio)
Definition of stumblenext
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

stumble

2 of 2

noun

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
2
as in fall
the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily has bones so brittle that a minor stumble could result in a serious break

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stumble
Verb
Williams stumbled backward and circled both arms backward as Avdija kicked the ball out to Lillard for a three-pointer. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 An Egyptian farmer tending to his cucumbers stumbled upon an ancient stone that led archaeologists to a much bigger discovery. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Noun
But injuries and growing pains associated with two new coordinators led to an 0-2 stumble out of the gates. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Indeed, if War leaves behind the faintest tinge of disappointment, it’s owed to a minor stumble of nerve. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
  1. fall
  2. struggle
  3. shuffle
  4. fumble
  5. mistake
  6. tumble
  7. slip
  8. stomp
Verb
  • Gouzer is confident that Nara’s auction record will eventually fall.
    — Daniel Cassady for ARTnews, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the Exporters Western Cape, a lobby group, told Ramaphosa before the decision that the province’s exports to the US had already fallen 41% with particularly steep declines in juice, grapes and citrus.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • Yet when asked to move beyond answering questions to framing their own, many struggled.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Tommy Novak got two goals in the first six minutes and Egor Chinakhov also scored for the Penguins, who moved Crosby and the 40-year-old Malkin onto their top line before the game in an effort to spark their struggling lineup.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • Findings of no effect tend to either be shuffled off to low-profile journals or left behind as unpublished lab lore.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
  • For the most part, this was a second consecutive solid performance by a group that will likely undergo major personnel shuffling all season.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of shuffle
Verb
  • Three plays later, Austin Simmons hit Cayden Lee, who got blasted by a Longhorn defender and fumbled to set up the game-sealing Texas TD.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026
  • And four plays after Browne fumbled at his own 2, Washington scored on 1 -yard plunge.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of fumble
Noun
  • But Langley’s affection for his hometown hasn’t kept his company from drawing, even in Atlanta, the kinds of criticism over issues of privacy, mistakes and misuse that have been simmering nationwide.
    — Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Instead, the same mistakes and clock-management problems keep showing up.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of mistake
Noun
  • The rough and tumble of the campaign was a distant memory at Ford’s party on Tuesday night.
    — Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) declined the most, down 7%, a tumble symptomatic of soft demand in the UK and France, despite some resilience in Germany.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of tumble
Verb
  • With rain falling in the second half, linebacker Nick Bolton slipped and fell on the Bronco’s explosive 22-yard play to Adam Trautman on the drive that ended in a score.
    — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Along with the new assortment of jewelry designs, Steff Eleoff will offer its signature tech ring covers, which slip over Oura rings and give the devices the elevated appearance of modern jewelry.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of slip
Verb
  • Kylie Minogue had a massive moment in custom metallic Bared boots onstage for the AFL Grand Final, while Alix Earle opted for the brand’s Hillstar boots in black leather to stomp around the Coachella fairgrounds back in April.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • His creator, an unnamed basket-weaver (Peter Dinklage), braided him as a mate for a lonely virgin, a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who stomps around her rustic village smelling like sushi and tossing her head back in an Eliza Doolittle guffaw.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of stomp

Phrases Containing stumble

Browse Nearby Words

stuffy
stumble
stumblebum
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All