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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stumble
Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Fab Gorjian only stumbled into painting.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2025
Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
The album is not without some small stumbles.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
Most companies stumble because leadership pursues the wrong goals — growth for growth’s sake, short-term gains at long-term cost.
—Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Fab Gorjian only stumbled into painting.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
However, there were stumbles along the way.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
The album is not without some small stumbles.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
Zay Flowers, who finished with a receiving line of 5-for-72, fell a yard short of a long TD on a 56-yard gain.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
City administrator echoes points other municipalities have stated Brown presented a series of slides and data pieces that, among other facts, showed the city has lagged further behind in terms of property revenue increases falling short of 3% inflation on existing services on average.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The arrival of Clark and other high-profile young players have contributed to a boom in popularity for the long-struggling league.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The Broncos are 2-2 and coming off a dominating 28-3 victory over the struggling Cincinnati Bengals.—
Hunter Simpson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Seahawks might need to do more shuffling ahead of their Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Restyle Soft Goods Soft goods like accent pillows, throw blankets, and even curtains can be easily shuffled around to refresh your space, Reinhard says.—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Saints, Panthers Arizona somehow turned an interception into a touchdown for their opponent and fumbled away another sure touchdown in a bad, bad loss on Sunday.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
After multiple punts, Keon Coleman, Allen’s trusty wide receiver, uncharacteristically fumbled later in the first quarter as well.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Steelers, Saints, Cardinals Sam Darnold was nearly perfect (28-of-34 passing for 341 yards and four touchdowns), but his one mistake was a costly interception late that set up the Bucs’ winning field goal.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Mahomes methodically pushed the offense to Jacksonville’s goal line before making what was a game-changing mistake.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The line includes scent beads and tumble dryer sheets, described as transforming the act of doing laundry into a sensory ritual.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Within those questions is the greatness revealed when the image moves again, when charging Eagles safety Reed Blankenship lifts a hand to tip Mayfield’s fourth-quarter throw, when the flailing football tumbles into linebacker Jihaad Campbell’s arms near the pylon.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Currently, Wisconsin law limits only delta-9 THC, allowing other intoxicating compounds to slip through the cracks.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Ferrari is currently battling for the second spot in the Constructors' Championship with Red Bull and Mercedes, after slipping to third.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By Dom Luszczyszyn, Sean Gentille and Shayna Goldman Coming into last season, the Washington Capitals had taken major steps to improve a roster that, by plenty of measures, had fluked its way into the postseason and summarily gotten stomped in the first round.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
When the band quickly left before the encore, the elated, yet sweaty, audience clapped their hands and stomped their feet without virtually anyone leaving the building.—
Josh Chesler,
AZCentral.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share