1
as in fell
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 struggled
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 shuffled
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 fumbled
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumbled
Because the 59-year-old MAGA actor has stumbled into a debate that’s been vexing DC fans for more than six decades.
—
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
The memorial effort dragged for years as the private onePulse Foundation, originally tasked to create it, stumbled and then collapsed amid excessive ambition that produced a plan for a $100 million memorial and museum the group had no ability to fund.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Since then Brazil has stumbled on the international stage, only reaching the semifinals once and that run ended with the shocking 7-1 defeat to the eventual champion German squad on home soil in 2014.
—James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
The plan can still fail, and the networks have stumbled here before.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Weiss, best known for her work as an opinion journalist and the launch of her site The Free Press, has stumbled in her new role in large part due to a lack of experience with TV operations.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 June 2026
In the fall of 1995, hunters stumbled on Josette’s bones in the woods near rural Carmel, an hour north of the Bronx.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026
More recently, a German teenager stumbled across an ancient Greek coin, marking the first such find ever recorded in Berlin.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
Others, like Michael Fisher and Claire Rimatzki from Detroit, stumbled upon the event.
—Bri Buckley, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
The memorial effort dragged for years as the private onePulse Foundation, originally tasked to create it, stumbled and then collapsed amid excessive ambition that produced a plan for a $100 million memorial and museum the group had no ability to fund.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Since then Brazil has stumbled on the international stage, only reaching the semifinals once and that run ended with the shocking 7-1 defeat to the eventual champion German squad on home soil in 2014.
—James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
The plan can still fail, and the networks have stumbled here before.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Weiss, best known for her work as an opinion journalist and the launch of her site The Free Press, has stumbled in her new role in large part due to a lack of experience with TV operations.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 June 2026
In the fall of 1995, hunters stumbled on Josette’s bones in the woods near rural Carmel, an hour north of the Bronx.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026
More recently, a German teenager stumbled across an ancient Greek coin, marking the first such find ever recorded in Berlin.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
Others, like Michael Fisher and Claire Rimatzki from Detroit, stumbled upon the event.
—Bri Buckley, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled
Verb
-
Aalto University / Mahdi Asgari History is filled with stories of the great being felled by the puny.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 June 2026
-
And those are the lucky ones, who weren’t felled by late-season injuries and bumped from the tournament the way Brazil’s Rodrygo, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Germany’s Serge Gnabry were.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Once her shots started to fall, the Sparks struggled to contain her.—
Jordan Puente,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The group struggled to find relevance in the aftermath of Kath’s death, largely thanks to shifting musical tastes.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
In the years that followed, American landscape painting was shuffled off to storage to make room for modernism, and paintings like Church’s, with their glassy finishes and profuse detail, came to seem the embodiment of fuddy-duddy.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
The singer-songwriter shuffled songs on her phone, not having any idea what might pop up.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Before that, when the Jets could have taken the lead on their opening drive, Allen fumbled on the Dolphins’ 1-yard line.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
-
The Spurs had one more chance, but Stephon Castle fumbled the inbounds pass and pandemonium at Madison Square Garden followed.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Four years later in Italy, the waterworks went again, as those infernal penalty kicks tripped us up against West Germany in the semifinal.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
According to the family's lawsuit against DPD, Officer Verona Shaw tripped on the steps while entering the backyard.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Rubio is the president’s top adviser on both national security and diplomacy at a moment when the United States has blundered into an unpopular war that appears to be a strategic catastrophe.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
-
Padres fielders blundered in three of his outings.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Monday night, a 39-year-old man wearing a Spurs jersey was stomped and punched after Game 3 while walking down West 47th Street, about 15 blocks from the arena.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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It's been 33 years since Jurassic Park first stomped into theaters, and blockbusters haven't been the same since.—
Huntley Woods,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Only two failed transfers occurred, both involving extremely thin pieces that slipped from the chopsticks.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
-
His approval rating on the economy slipped two points, to 30%, from April and his rating on inflation was also down two points, to 22%, while 19% approve of his handling of gas prices in the latest poll.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbled. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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