STUMBLED Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

stumbled

verb

past tense of stumble

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in struggled

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shuffled

to move heavily or clumsily the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fumbled

to make a mistake that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air

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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 stumbled Williams stumbled backward and circled both arms backward as Avdija kicked the ball out to Lillard for a three-pointer. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 An Egyptian farmer tending to his cucumbers stumbled upon an ancient stone that led archaeologists to a much bigger discovery. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Even when Netflix has stumbled its way onto unexpected gems like KPop Demon Hunters, the company doesn’t always seem to have the strongest game plan to capitalize on their success. — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026 Russia stumbled in all three of its Phobos attempts as well as many other Mars endeavors. — ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026 But since then, the market has stumbled as jitters spread about whether rising borrowing costs will put pressure on risky corners of the AI boom that are reliant on debt. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 Kore-eda stumbled on the manga in a bookshop rather than through its serial run. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 So why has Hyperliquid’s DAT flourished while the others have stumbled? — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026 Of the seven clubs that had 14 or more players from their organizations appear in the WBC, several stumbled early and only the Phillies and Brewers made the postseason. — Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled

Verb

In the postwar decades, humans seized ecosystems at breakneck speed—forests were felled, prairies plowed, wetlands drained.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the 430 trees that were felled were not identified as hazardous or raising safety concerns.

— Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of fell

Verb

The 3-3 Knights have struggled in the Big 12 since joining the conference, but tend to be better at home in the friendly confines of the Acrisure Bounce House.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
The shift signals a turning point for the left, which has historically struggled to counter the far-right’s dominant online presence and savvy digital strategy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggled

Verb

Thomas and Woods fumbled in the first half in Spartan territory — their first of the season on 118 combined carries thus far.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
During Sunday night’s game against the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Mahomes fumbled after a big hit, and roughly 22 players had a chance to recover the ball.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

Schaefer stayed on the ice for the first half of the extra period before Nashville's Filip Forsberg tripped him, forcing the period's first stoppage.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Doing so tripped Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, and the nearest official immediately whistled for an offensive foul, Towns’ second inside the first four minutes of the season opener.

— Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of tripped

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

Definition of blundered

Verb

This year, the party headed to Los Angeles, where all your favorite models — and then some — stomped the runway in lace, lace and more lace.

— Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2026
McColley pushed Parente out onto the street and stomped his boot in the victim’s face five times, crushing Parente’s head into the pavement before fleecing his pockets and fleeing, according to the criminal complaint.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of stomped

Verb

Authorities said Morley, 28, slipped through a fence in his prison clothes late Sunday night before walking to the nearby farm and stealing the truck.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
The stock has slipped 13% in 2026 to date, at about $64 in mid-day trading Wednesday.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026