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 But like their European counterparts, American incumbents in the automobile and space industries have also stumbled. — Andrew McAfee, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026 For Wilmot, the worst moment occurred when Sleepy stumbled to the edge of a huge chasm in the mine, turned and began to fall backward to his death. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 The women just appear to have gotten lost on their way to quadrille practice and stumbled into a Pina Bausch class. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026 The Broncos stumbled out of the blocks to a 17-3 deficit against Memphis last week, and the same happened on Saturday against South Dakota. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026 The Bears, however, stumbled out of the gate, losing four straight before winning Friday night. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026 Jose Fernandez stumbled into revealing something with an innocent answer that explains why the Dallas Wings selected Azzi Fudd with the first pick in the WNBA draft, one slot ahead of a player who may be named MVP. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026 Portage stumbled into its flock of Flocks after then-Sheriff Dave Reynolds contracted with the company to put them in the city. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 For all of the anticipation of an explosive new offensive attack sparked by the arrival of new coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Chargers stumbled and fumbled their way through their season debut. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled

Verb

Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.

— Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.

— The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of fell

Verb

Bryce Young has struggled against man-to-man defenses, completing just over 40 percent of his passes this year against that scheme, and Cleveland has played man on about half of its defensive snaps this year.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2026
South Africa has struggled with violent crime for years, but recent shootings have shocked a country used to some of the highest homicide rates in the world.

— Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of struggled

Verb

The dispute has caused confusion for over a million potential voters who could be shuffled among districts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026
Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP Senate super PAC, also shuffled some of its reservations, removing $900,000 in broadcast buys in the state while adding $400,000 in digital ads.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of shuffled

Verb

The rookie tight end caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in his first career start Sunday, even as the Lions beat the Jets, 31-24, after Geno Smith fumbled with seconds remaining.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
The Ravens' defense came up big in the third quarter, forcing a Cowboys turnover when Ferguson fumbled a shovel pass from Prescott.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

Since then, price has completely round-tripped the move, giving back the entire post-earnings gap and settling back into the mid-$250s.

— Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
Thomas Maulson alleged a deputy tripped him while handcuffed, causing injuries that required 13 stitches.

— Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 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

Letter writers recalled how Paden saved his father’s life when a cow nearly stomped him to death in a field, after the elder Paden came between the cow and her calf.

— Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
The Bulldogs visit Arkansas, which just got stomped by Utah, to open SEC play Saturday.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026