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
Soto, wounded, stumbled into the Wingstop seeking help.
—
Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.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
Realizing he’s stumbled onto a global conspiracy, Zaminsky goes on the run after linking neighborhood satellite dishes to create an array relocating the alien signal.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 31 May 2026
During the debate, Joe Biden frequently lost his train of thought, stumbled over answers, and appeared hoarse, fueling concerns among voters and party leaders.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Fatu stumbled back to his feet, but Roman hit another spear for the win.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
OpenAI, Google and Perplexity have rolled out research tools and agents for shopping, though some of those efforts have stumbled due to technical bugs or challenges with onboarding retailers.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 27 May 2026
Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.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
Realizing he’s stumbled onto a global conspiracy, Zaminsky goes on the run after linking neighborhood satellite dishes to create an array relocating the alien signal.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 31 May 2026
During the debate, Joe Biden frequently lost his train of thought, stumbled over answers, and appeared hoarse, fueling concerns among voters and party leaders.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Fatu stumbled back to his feet, but Roman hit another spear for the win.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
OpenAI, Google and Perplexity have rolled out research tools and agents for shopping, though some of those efforts have stumbled due to technical bugs or challenges with onboarding retailers.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 27 May 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
-
Wembanyama, one of the marquee stars of this series, was his usual disruptive presence in the paint defensively but struggled to make a larger impact elsewhere.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
Meta still counts on ads for about 98% of revenue, having repeatedly struggled to sell digital and physical products over the years.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
He then was shuffled between immigration centers in California, Arizona and Louisiana — before landing in Equatorial Guinea almost six months ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Given how badly Karen Bass has fumbled as mayor, Raman couldn’t do much worse.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Drawing 0-0 at home with Brentford in March, the visitors should have conceded a penalty and been put down to 10 men when Tavernier was tripped in the area by Michael Kayode.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
In the summer of 1953, while playing with his brother in a trio at Conneaut Lake, Negri tripped over a pretty girl on the beach, Joni Serafini of Squirrel Hill.—
Tribune News Service,
Boston Herald,
1 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
-
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
-
The accordionist stomped sideways under the stage lights, sweat running down his temples, looking like Angus Young sans schoolboy shorts.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 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 4 Jun. 2026.
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