stumbled (upon)

verb

past tense of stumble (upon)
as in encountered
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face stumbled upon an old acquaintance at the airport

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled (upon)
  1. encountered
  2. met
Verb
  • The New Evidence also devotes time to the defense theory that Laci encountered the burglars who robbed the home of across-the-street neighbors Rudy and Susan Medina.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026
  • Later that morning, officers again encountered the van and surrounded it after its occupants allegedly attempted to flee a second time, Reitz said.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of encountered
Verb
  • The extradition process requires a hearing before a US judge to determine whether the treaty’s requirements are met, but the final decision is made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who retains discretion to deny extradition.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • The two women met at UnlikelyAI, the startup founded by William Tunstall-Pedoe, who played a leading role in the development of Amazon Alexa, but were keen to launch their own venture and took inspiration from their families’ experience.
    — David Prosser, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of met
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.

Browse Nearby Words

stumbled (on or onto)
stumbled (upon)
stumble (on or onto)
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Cite this Entry

“Stumbled (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbled%20%28upon%29. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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