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
Some customers have stumbled upon the bubble waffle shop while scrolling on their phones.
—
Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Even some of the most sophisticated left-leaning groups have stumbled.
—Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Historical efforts stumbled on crude heuristics and surgeon intuition, leading to inconsistent spread, under-dosing, or spillover toxicity.
—Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
On Sunday afternoon, Vanity Fair even stumbled across a very small protest—about seven people marching down Main Street, anti-ICE signs in hand.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
An injured man stumbled past me and vomited repeatedly into the snow.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Dutcher and his staff might have stumbled on something.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Man declares adverse possession Burdge first stumbled upon the island in the summer of 2017 while exploring the Greenbelt and came across an odd arrangement of stone.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
But the Scouts stumbled in a season-opening loss to Palatine.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Even some of the most sophisticated left-leaning groups have stumbled.
—Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Historical efforts stumbled on crude heuristics and surgeon intuition, leading to inconsistent spread, under-dosing, or spillover toxicity.
—Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
On Sunday afternoon, Vanity Fair even stumbled across a very small protest—about seven people marching down Main Street, anti-ICE signs in hand.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
An injured man stumbled past me and vomited repeatedly into the snow.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Dutcher and his staff might have stumbled on something.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Man declares adverse possession Burdge first stumbled upon the island in the summer of 2017 while exploring the Greenbelt and came across an odd arrangement of stone.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
But the Scouts stumbled in a season-opening loss to Palatine.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled
Verb
-
After a flurry of punches that would have felled a lesser team and coach, the Owls are still standing.—
Ken Sugiura,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Antoine’s trees were eventually felled after the plantation changed hands multiple times after the death of enslaver Roman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
So far, though, the Swedish striker has struggled to consistently reach the level expected of him with Gabriel Jesus too injury-prone to be counted on over the course of a full season.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lock mode proved invaluable on loose climbs, Hill Descent took the stress out of steep drop-offs, and Auto seamlessly shuffled between two- and four-wheel drive as conditions changed.—
Fergus Scholes,
TheWeek,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Key Background The ranks of the world’s wealthiest people have shuffled in recent months.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Payton fumbled on the second play from scrimmage, and the Patriots recovered at the Bears' 19-yard line.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
To do so, the Patriots must keep enough heat off Drake Maye, who has taken 10 sacks and fumbled six times in the playoffs.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Today, Morgan responded to some Good Morning Britain banter in which the show’s presenters jokingly suggested Morgan might have tripped after imbibing.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Jan. 2026
-
The former was able to push the puck to Wyatt Kaiser and then tripped Mittelstadt, which allowed Kaiser to skate into the open slot unabated.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Making matters worse was that Seahawks defensive lineman Derick Hall stomped down on Dotson’s calf after the play, leading to Shelton shoving him in the chest and, ultimately, a one-game suspension for Hall.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Oil prices slipped after jumping more than 3% on Thursday due to worries about tensions between the United States and Iran, which could ultimately constrict the flow of crude.—
Matt Ott,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Mission slipped into 2025 because ULA needed more Vulcan rocket hardware beyond Cert-2 and the two USSF missions that took priority over the Dream Chaser flight.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Shares of the Turkish state lender Halk Bankasi AS tumbled on Wednesday following the adjournment of a court status conference in the US related to charges of evading sanctions on Iran.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Amphenol — The maker of sensors and connectors tumbled more than 12%.—
Scott Schnipper,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbled. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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