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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of stumbled
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
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Soto, wounded, stumbled into the Wingstop seeking help.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
The less-than-truckload (LTL) company stumbled out of the gate in its public market debut on the New York Stock Exchange, seeing its stock decline more than 9 percent after opening the day at more than $165 per share.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
Howard, who was 17 at the time, and his friend, 15-year-old Luke Brookhouser, stumbled upon Metz’s property near Conifer while searching for a spot to take homecoming photos in September 2024.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
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
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Soto, wounded, stumbled into the Wingstop seeking help.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
The less-than-truckload (LTL) company stumbled out of the gate in its public market debut on the New York Stock Exchange, seeing its stock decline more than 9 percent after opening the day at more than $165 per share.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
Howard, who was 17 at the time, and his friend, 15-year-old Luke Brookhouser, stumbled upon Metz’s property near Conifer while searching for a spot to take homecoming photos in September 2024.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled
Verb
-
Piccotto effectively plays the regret of a mother forced to reckon with the loss of a child, the horror of engaging with that child again, while also grappling with her own role as a mother felled by the scourge of addiction.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
In a Western Conference Final where a few other key Colorado Avalanche players are already playing through injuries, the NHL’s leading goal scorer this season was felled trying to prevent someone else from scoring.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Jalen Brunson has 19 points to lead New York, but the Knicks have struggled to avoid fouls on defense and struggled to make foul shots on the other end.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Rushing out onto the beach, George struggled to comprehend what had happened.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
But remember, most airlines continue to assign seats throughout the check-in process, and seats might be shuffled by gate agents to accommodate families and other travelers who need special attention.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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While many of the brand’s lifestyle models are frequently shuffled in and out of production, the 9060 has held on as a staple of the brand’s lineup nearly four years after its retail debut.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Henderson also fumbled after hauling in a pass from DeVito.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
-
During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Britain’s Katie Boulter and Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez tripped over Lacoste signs during their early round matches.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
7 June 2026
-
The one thing that has tripped me up, however, is sourcing the perfect walking sneakers.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
6 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
-
The emphasis on winning to keep kids signed up and continue making money has stomped creativity out of American players, who are encouraged to play safely to ensure results instead of developing a players’ feel for the game.—
Andy Yamashita,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2026
-
Evidence presented at trial showed Wallace threw the victim to the ground, repeatedly punched and stomped him, and searched his pockets before taking his wallet and other belongings, the DA’s office said.—
Bay City News Service,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Oil prices rise, stocks fall over Hormuz deadlock Oil prices rose and stocks slipped on growing signs that the Strait of Hormuz was likely to remain all but shut for the foreseeable future.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
-
Vaccination rates have slipped, and large, multistate outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases have inevitably come roaring back.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbled. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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