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
Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Adapted from the 2024 novel of the same name by Rufi Thorpe, the show follows a young single-mom-to-be who needs cash and stumbles upon creative ways to get it—including crafting an OnlyFans persona that might grow out of her control.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 29 Dec. 2025
Moments later, the Palestinian man stumbles up and is seen walking back to the quad bike that rammed him.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
The story follows a woman who accepts a job as a housemaid to a wealthy couple, and stumbles across the family's dark secrets along the way.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 25 Dec. 2025
While on a date, Tess inadvertently stumbles into one of Alex’s sets — which spikily interrogates why their romance fell apart.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
One girl stumbles, breaking the chain, and skates hard to reconnect.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 22 Dec. 2025
In this four-episode dark comedy, news anchor Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville) stumbles into a career-threatening scandal after he's accused of making a sexist joke.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The live stumbles of Left Shark went viral and spawned jokes in record quickness.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The company is also facing concerns about its artificial intelligence push, which is getting an overhaul this year after recent stumbles.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Silver’s success has also sparked a hand-wringing on social media where users are posting sardonic memes about Bitcoin’s stumbles.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
The company said the stumbles were due to a power outage at one of its data centers.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
That said, his biggest stumbles have come in games against the Rams, including tying a career-high with four interceptions without a touchdown thrown in the loss to them in Week 11.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Investors remain focused on Apple's long history of software stumbles.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The girl takes a tentative step forward, stumbles, and face-plants into the waves.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
Ennin gets up and stumbles down the block before collapsing next to a building.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Adapted from the 2024 novel of the same name by Rufi Thorpe, the show follows a young single-mom-to-be who needs cash and stumbles upon creative ways to get it—including crafting an OnlyFans persona that might grow out of her control.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 29 Dec. 2025
Moments later, the Palestinian man stumbles up and is seen walking back to the quad bike that rammed him.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
The story follows a woman who accepts a job as a housemaid to a wealthy couple, and stumbles across the family's dark secrets along the way.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 25 Dec. 2025
While on a date, Tess inadvertently stumbles into one of Alex’s sets — which spikily interrogates why their romance fell apart.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
One girl stumbles, breaking the chain, and skates hard to reconnect.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 22 Dec. 2025
In this four-episode dark comedy, news anchor Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville) stumbles into a career-threatening scandal after he's accused of making a sexist joke.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
Noun
Amid this debate, there are clear tensions among Democrats about how to address the left's stumbles in the 2024 presidential election, when Democrats lost the White House, Senate and failed to retake the House.
—Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The live stumbles of Left Shark went viral and spawned jokes in record quickness.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The company is also facing concerns about its artificial intelligence push, which is getting an overhaul this year after recent stumbles.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Silver’s success has also sparked a hand-wringing on social media where users are posting sardonic memes about Bitcoin’s stumbles.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
The company said the stumbles were due to a power outage at one of its data centers.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
That said, his biggest stumbles have come in games against the Rams, including tying a career-high with four interceptions without a touchdown thrown in the loss to them in Week 11.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Investors remain focused on Apple's long history of software stumbles.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The girl takes a tentative step forward, stumbles, and face-plants into the waves.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles
Verb
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Only a few are still running Commissioner Natalie Orbis, who also sponsored the measure, said the buses were sold to the public as both an environmental win and a cost-saving investment — but that promise falls apart if the buses break down far more often than their diesel counterparts.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
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Rachel Perry, PhD, has spent most of her scientific life thinking about how the body moves energy around—how glucose rises and falls, how tissues compete for fuel, and how metabolism shifts during illness.—
Avi Patel,
Hartford Courant,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the movie, Redford plays Roy Hobbs, who struggles his entire life to get a shot at playing professional baseball — a transformation of Arthurian legend into mythic Americana.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Raymond James analysts upgraded the stock to an outperform rating, citing Sandisk's pricing momentum as new supply struggles to come online.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 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
-
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
-
The Honda backs up a few feet as the agent fumbles at the door handle.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This lens helps explain everything from investing mistakes and overspending to why some people quietly build wealth while others blow money in ways that, from the outside, look spectacularly dumb.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Players will now have the ability to correct mistakes by rewinding, as well as the option to save their progress.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The river tumbles and seethes through 278 miles of Grand Canyon National Park, taking its geologic time in carving a trench now deeper than a mile.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
15 Dec. 2025
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But if an asset tumbles and the investor can't meet the margin requirements, the trading platform may automatically liquidate the position, which leads to more selling and downward pressure on its price.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Boat trips with the hotel’s fleet of luxury liners or a heli ride take you island-hopping to Hydra and Spetses.—
Jemima Sissons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Jan. 2026
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Shoelaces are scanned to ensure that no player trips and breaks bones.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
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
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During interviews for an in-depth Fortune story on KDP published in June, Cofer detailed his strategy for expanding margins and achieving high growth in soft drinks, a field that overall just trudges forward.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbles. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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