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
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The following month, on April 17, 1996, two county workers stumbled across the decomposing remains of Kenneth Smith.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Each stumble forced Huang’s team to rethink, redesign, and innovate at a pace that steady success never would have demanded.
—Big Think, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
Stocks had stumbled there in prior days after MSCI, an influential company in the investment industry that creates stock and other indexes, warned about market risks such as a lack of transparency.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The following month, on April 17, 1996, two county workers stumbled across the decomposing remains of Kenneth Smith.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
Despite a stumble in their most recent European outing, their domestic form has been strong, and their attackers, including Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, bring sharp finishing and creative threat.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Each stumble forced Huang’s team to rethink, redesign, and innovate at a pace that steady success never would have demanded.
—Big Think, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
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With a light snow falling outside McCamish Pavilion, Henri Veesaar gave North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 ACC) a devastating 1-2 punch on the inside with 20 points and 12 rebounds.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
-
These cycles, which last about 11 years, mark periods of rising and falling solar activity.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The congressman says one of his top priorities is passing a new farm bill, which has been tied up in Congress and could provide some relief to local farmers struggling with declining profits.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The downstairs staffs of the richest and noblest families start to shuffle around so chaotically that even Lady Whistledown takes notice of in her column.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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The videos showed Chicago kissing and hugging a sable-furred puppy in the family's living room while Psalm shuffled around on his hands and knees trying to chase one of the dark-haired dogs around the room.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Beauty products have taken over my sink, leaving me fumbling for my go-to face washes and serums every morning and night.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The Steelers failed to capitalize on the miscues from a jittery Stroud, who fumbled twice and threw a pick deep in Pittsburgh territory.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instead, recruitment mistakes saw their recent troubles compared to United’s since 2013.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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The open availability of this kind of material poses a threat not only to migrants and activists but anyone with a digital footprint, because depending on AI to sort through it will inevitably lead to mistakes.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Our days are spent cross-country and downhill skiing, dogsledding, snowshoeing, and gazing at waterfalls frozen mid-tumble.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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Cheng Xin | Getty Images After an all-time high and a big tumble for bitcoin last year, industry executives and investors told CNBC that the cryptocurrency could reach new heights in 2026 — but with the potential for huge volatility.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet the fact remains that their league position has slipped from fifth to 12th since away supporters last watched their team winning in the league, 2-0 at Nottingham Forest at the end of November.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But my next words slipped soundlessly to the ground before the yellow vinyl material, like the final sprays of a park fountain at closing time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
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Making matters worse was that Seahawks defensive lineman Derick Hall stomped down on Dotson’s calf after the play, leading to Shelton shoving him in the chest and, ultimately, a one-game suspension for Hall.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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