STUMBLES Synonyms: 166 Similar and Opposite Words

stumbles 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stumble

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in struggles

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 shuffles

to move heavily or clumsily the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth

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as in fumbles

to make a mistake that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air

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stumbles

2 of 2

noun

plural of stumble

as in mistakes

an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tumbles

the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily has bones so brittle that a minor stumble could result in a serious break

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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 stumbles

Verb

Drunken dragonrider Ulf the White's rage proves pivotal Debaucherous dragonrider Ulf White (Tom Bennett) stumbles into playing a major role in the final battle with his dragon Silverwing. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 Bartels and Howe pitched the movie as a love letter focusing on a single summer about a kid who stumbles into a restaurant and finds his calling. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 Venturing into the forest with her friend Curtis, Prue stumbles upon a mystical world of humans and talking animals, and must embark on a dangerous adventure to save her brother. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026 So much of what the product promises depends on OpenAI's software side, but the execution stumbles by scattering controls across multiple places. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026 Ella Rubin stars as Annie Jacobson, a high schooler who stumbles into a mystery when her grandfather dies and leaves her an island in Canada—along with a cryptic letter. — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026 But then our son stumbles into the room and burrows between us, his warmth radiating right alongside my light. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Let’s say Paul Simon, a curious man, stumbles upon your song and then reads this interview. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 20 July 2026 Biden’s stumbles doom his reelection effort Biden’s halting gait, frail appearance and frequent verbal stumbles eventually doomed his 2024 reelection campaign. — Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Noun

Honeywell Aerospace shares tumbled 11% on Wednesday evening after the company reported weak quarterly results and cut its full-year outlook due to supply chain stumbles. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 As the company pours IPO cash into aggressive global expansion, analysts warn that shareholder pressure and past quality stumbles could test its eco-conscious image — and Wall Street patience. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 But Marvel has had its stumbles of late, and Sony’s Spider-Man-adjacent villain movies (like Madame Web, Morbius and Kraven the Hunter) have largely flopped, so neither is otherwise flawless at franchise management. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 Despite those stumbles, domestic ticket sales are roughly 10% above 2025, according to Rentrak, and the summer season is expected to surpass $4 billion for the second time since the pandemic upended the industry. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 19 July 2026 Biden's halting gait, frail appearance and frequent verbal stumbles eventually doomed his 2024 reelection campaign. — ABC News, 14 July 2026 Biden’s halting gait, frail appearance and frequent verbal stumbles eventually doomed his 2024 reelection campaign. — Jill Colvin, Fortune, 14 July 2026 The filmmakers cut freely and rapidly among the duo’s poses, their stumbles, their fears, their tightrope walks across precarious beams in the sky. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026 The bravado that Canada is showing after those early stumbles against Bosnia is the kind of attitude that teams need in the World Cup. — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles

Verb

Methane evaporates, forms clouds, falls as rain, and collects in lakes and seas.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
Then, after darkness falls, the annual Perseid meteor shower will peak beneath perfectly moonless skies.

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of falls

Verb

Don’t wait until a leader is tapped on the shoulder to take a top job only to realize the leader struggles with collaboration or lacks executive presence.

— Roberta Matuson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Only the collision between Manette, Darnay and Carton unleashes a complex love triangle as both men fight for her love and Manette struggles over whom to choose.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of struggles

Verb

In the clip, Dawkins shuffles out onto the field with no shirt, a pair of Crocs and a clear plastic bag ready to get the ol' inside-out treatment.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
An exhibition game also shuffles the storylines — some players emerge, others might fade.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of shuffles

Verb

Sims catches a hitch and turns up field but fumbles the ball while switching hands.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of fumbles

Noun

The Ravens did that, committing only three penalties for 25 yards (the Eagles had 10 for 96), limiting their mistakes and controlling the line of scrimmage.

— Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The second-round pass rusher made aggressive mistakes, falling twice for option fakes and overrunning a screen pass early.

— Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of mistakes

Noun

But their erotic encounter is short-lived, as Joe tumbles and blows his back out while sheepishly dancing to Sade.

— Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 July 2026
This highly competent, obsessive duo tumbles into a self-destructive cat-and-mouse dynamic — but who’s the cat and who’s the mouse?

— Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026

Definition of tumbles

Verb

Standard rooms already feel generous by Vegas standards, and suites step up to apartment-like layouts, with separate living areas that make longer stays or work trips more comfortable.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
An agent holding valid credentials, performing thousands of plausible-looking actions across four days, trips neither alarm.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of trips

Verb

Enola dutifully trudges between clues and possibilities, shuffling through crime scenes and racing around shady spaces, all of this much more paint-by-numbers than connect-the-dots.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 June 2026
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