1
as in falls
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggles
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 shuffles
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 fumbles
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in mistakes
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumbles
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
The woman continues to scream as Jones stumbles in the street and Charles asks him multiple more times to drop the knife.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 3 Mar. 2026
And what about the scene when Mac has locked Bull in the room, which is flooding with water, until James [Osian Emlyn] stumbles across him and lets him out?
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Violet stumbles upon Sophie in the parlor, searching desperately for her necklace.
—Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
The romantic dramedy, based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, stars Anne Hathaway as Solène, a divorced mother who stumbles into a meet-cute with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of a boy band.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Jaelin Kauff is easily through after her quarterfinal opponent Anastassiya Gordodko stumbles.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Thompson plays a grieving loner who gets lost near a Minnesota lake during a blizzard and stumbles on a cabin where a young woman is being held by an armed couple.
—ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026
Video from a neighbor’s Ring camera shows a man identified by police as Soto pulling a pistol, then chasing Morello while continuing to shoot and pulling the trigger at least twice after Morello stumbles and falls to the ground.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Feb. 2026
Stoddard credited her team with helping her after the early stumbles.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Around that time, public demonstrations of the humanoids often drew skepticism, such as a robot marathon in April that made headlines for stumbles, crashes and breakdowns.
—Dylan Butts,matthew Chin, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
The stumbles become part of the narrative rather than disqualifying moments.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
But when silver stumbles, those same stocks can fall even faster.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
The voters of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida, however (with an assist from James Comey and Clinton’s own stumbles), put an end to those plans.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
While several runs appear smooth and effortless, others expose the limits of the hardware, including stumbles and the loss of a foot covering after a hard landing.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
Simi Valley has put its last season’s stumbles behind it and is preparing for a tough Notre Dame Academy squad.
—Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
In 1972, Hannes (Enzo Brumm), a gangly farm boy adrift in a hedonistic haze of hormones and counterculture, stumbles upon a revelation through his contact with a love interest’s geranium.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
The woman continues to scream as Jones stumbles in the street and Charles asks him multiple more times to drop the knife.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 3 Mar. 2026
And what about the scene when Mac has locked Bull in the room, which is flooding with water, until James [Osian Emlyn] stumbles across him and lets him out?
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Violet stumbles upon Sophie in the parlor, searching desperately for her necklace.
—Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
The romantic dramedy, based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, stars Anne Hathaway as Solène, a divorced mother who stumbles into a meet-cute with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of a boy band.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Jaelin Kauff is easily through after her quarterfinal opponent Anastassiya Gordodko stumbles.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Thompson plays a grieving loner who gets lost near a Minnesota lake during a blizzard and stumbles on a cabin where a young woman is being held by an armed couple.
—ABC News, 13 Feb. 2026
Video from a neighbor’s Ring camera shows a man identified by police as Soto pulling a pistol, then chasing Morello while continuing to shoot and pulling the trigger at least twice after Morello stumbles and falls to the ground.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
Some of the team's biggest stars saw dramatic stumbles.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Feb. 2026
Stoddard credited her team with helping her after the early stumbles.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Around that time, public demonstrations of the humanoids often drew skepticism, such as a robot marathon in April that made headlines for stumbles, crashes and breakdowns.
—Dylan Butts,matthew Chin, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
The stumbles become part of the narrative rather than disqualifying moments.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
But when silver stumbles, those same stocks can fall even faster.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
The voters of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida, however (with an assist from James Comey and Clinton’s own stumbles), put an end to those plans.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
While several runs appear smooth and effortless, others expose the limits of the hardware, including stumbles and the loss of a foot covering after a hard landing.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
Simi Valley has put its last season’s stumbles behind it and is preparing for a tough Notre Dame Academy squad.
—Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles
Verb
-
Iranians also continue to argue over who should lead if the current government falls.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The peak falls near a first-quarter moon this year, which bodes well for another bright, impressive shower this year, per the Old Farmer’s Almanac.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But rival Target reported earlier this week another quarterly decline in profits and sales during the critical holiday period as the discounter struggles with its own merchandising missteps and confronts a consumer who is focusing more on essentials.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In December, Wisconsin Watch reported on an Appleton technical charter school that struggles to manage high program costs and secure donations to stay afloat.—
Miranda Dunlap,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sonny feels like a departure; unlike Bernthal’s mercenaries, Sonny fumbles with his gun, has a bleeding heart, and lays his vulnerabilities bare.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The Seahawks are a high-turnover team on both sides of the ball, but the 49ers have forced just two takeaways in the season series — both fumbles in the opener.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Last week, Bay Hill punished mistakes with force.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
However, before planting your favorite blooms in these vessels, there are a few common mistakes to be aware of.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Slater is a virtuosic physical actor, and his evocation of the mime’s precision, silliness, and grace—the elastic faces, the acrobatic tumbles, the fingers that bloom into flowers, then wilt, then bloom again — is painstaking and loving in its observance.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Bitcoin took one of its biggest tumbles yet.—
Rita Nazareth,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That's honestly great news for tailors and anyone who regularly trips over their own feet.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Greg trips in the middle of class and uses another student’s breasts to break his fall.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So, Bundle gets all three of her men, but trudges back home in heartbroken tears.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
15 Jan. 2026
-
As the decade trudges on, Brian becomes more serious about his work, never losing his soft spot for Margaret but otherwise gaining a sterling reputation as a hard-hitting interview.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbles. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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