as in to encounter
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
stumbled upon an old acquaintance at the airport
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble (upon)
Verb
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Trinity is, moreover, where Beckett first encountered Proust’s writing as an undergraduate studying modern languages, prior to arriving at the École Normale in Paris.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026 -
Viewers encountered only the residue of the performance, in the form of an empty black stage and salt casts of the band’s gear, arranged around a pile of black shards.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For Proust—who may have met Wilde and even been the subject of the older man’s amorous attention (though accounts of their meeting or meetings could be apocryphal)—his downfall showed that life featured far keener sorrows than those encountered in books.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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On January 19, CNN reported that Soltani was in good physical health and had been able to meet with his family, according to Hengaw and one of his relatives.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stumble (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble%20%28upon%29. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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