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
Relevance
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
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Bargatze stars as Nate Wilcox, a successful salesman who stumbles into a chaotic life as a stay-at-home dad to three daughters after his wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), lands a life-changing deal on Shark Tank to put her household invention into play.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Set during the summer of 1975, Sessa stars as a 19-year-old Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen.
—Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 May 2026
After an embarrassing encounter — Wells, working as a janitor, stumbles upon Graham naked in the locker room — the two make an arrangement.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Each of the three Petite Plume x Tkees arrivals was handcrafted in Brazil, coming to you with impressive traction to avoid unfortunate slips on the deck or stumbles on the sand.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
As Laugier’s story continues, the man wanders through a forest, stumbles upon fallen branches, and has an epiphany.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Falling back to the pack and seven points shy of San Jose, which won 4-1 at BMO Stadium on Sunday, LAFC has seen its recent MLS stumbles coincide with advancing to a two-leg CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal, which commences Wednesday at BMO Stadium and ends May 6 in Toluca, Mexico.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Arteta and Arsenal have also had to withstand almighty pressure and a media that have feasted on every one of their stumbles.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
There have been some other stumbles as well, and sometimes litigation.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Clearly, there have been more than a few stumbles along the way, but this week, the long-running saga got a new verse as the first validation models were assembled, bringing the EV one step closer to the market.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Tom Harkin, a former Democratic senator from Iowa, said Trump’s stumbles have created an opportunity for change.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
After some stumbles with AI in 2024, Apple has been largely sitting on the sidelines of the AI race.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
The stumbles seen on race day were largely engineering hiccups—hardware tuning, stability margins—not fundamental limits of AI.
—Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
The bullpen even found some redemption after two late stumbles in New York.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
The first robot stumbles on aluminum debris, its wheels furiously trying to get traction and move around the obstacle.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Bargatze stars as Nate Wilcox, a successful salesman who stumbles into a chaotic life as a stay-at-home dad to three daughters after his wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), lands a life-changing deal on Shark Tank to put her household invention into play.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Set during the summer of 1975, Sessa stars as a 19-year-old Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen.
—Marc Malkin, Variety, 15 May 2026
After an embarrassing encounter — Wells, working as a janitor, stumbles upon Graham naked in the locker room — the two make an arrangement.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Each of the three Petite Plume x Tkees arrivals was handcrafted in Brazil, coming to you with impressive traction to avoid unfortunate slips on the deck or stumbles on the sand.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
As Laugier’s story continues, the man wanders through a forest, stumbles upon fallen branches, and has an epiphany.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Falling back to the pack and seven points shy of San Jose, which won 4-1 at BMO Stadium on Sunday, LAFC has seen its recent MLS stumbles coincide with advancing to a two-leg CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal, which commences Wednesday at BMO Stadium and ends May 6 in Toluca, Mexico.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
The recovery was marked by additional stumbles, reversing course on traffic checkpoints, tax relief for wildfire victims and the need for a single recovery chief.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Arteta and Arsenal have also had to withstand almighty pressure and a media that have feasted on every one of their stumbles.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
There have been some other stumbles as well, and sometimes litigation.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Clearly, there have been more than a few stumbles along the way, but this week, the long-running saga got a new verse as the first validation models were assembled, bringing the EV one step closer to the market.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Tom Harkin, a former Democratic senator from Iowa, said Trump’s stumbles have created an opportunity for change.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
After some stumbles with AI in 2024, Apple has been largely sitting on the sidelines of the AI race.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
The stumbles seen on race day were largely engineering hiccups—hardware tuning, stability margins—not fundamental limits of AI.
—Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
The bullpen even found some redemption after two late stumbles in New York.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles
Verb
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And as if managing the spotlight and headlines weren’t enough, Austin trips and falls right in front of Diego Cruz, his attractive, flirty rival.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
-
But the proud born-again evangelical is channeling the zeal of an old-fashioned tent revival, even if some of his rhetoric falls far outside the bounds of the Good Book.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
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In it, a Native Hawaiian family struggles to reclaim the ancestral lands that colonization, tourism, and rampant development threaten to overrun.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Over the last few years, Keira has lost her ability to speak, has started having seizures, and struggles more and more with walking.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
The movie fumbles the chance to do something arresting with this seminal period in art.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The agents weren’t focused on the early mistakes made in the case, however.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
Bass acknowledged her mistakes during the campaign, said Gonzalez, a former head of the county Democratic Party.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
After a number of tumbles through the incoming crashing waves, Phan grabbed ahold of the shark's tail and fearlessly guided it back into the ocean, prompting cheers from onlookers.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Beneath the twists and tumbles of its plot, Reddick’s play is concerned with the people and communities that never profit when power seeks to increase itself — children, poor folks, Black folks.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Brown has four championships as an assistant and seven Finals trips overall.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
1 June 2026
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Humanoids, meanwhile, are still far from being useful in most homes and pose physical danger to people with limited mobility if the robot trips and falls.—
Matt O’Brien,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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However, even as the team trudges to a play-in spot rather than a top seed, Green was adamant that the Warriors’ standard of competitiveness cannot change.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
His previous book, The Village Idiot (2022), explored the historical reality of the early-twentieth-century School of Paris artists from the dreamlike perspective of the expressionist painter Chaïm Soutine, who trudges beneath the Seine in a diving suit.—
Cathleen Schine,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbles. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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