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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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stumbles
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
The film follows a finance guy named Alex (Arnett), who after splitting from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), stumbles into an unlikely hobby as a standup comic.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
The screenplay stumbles the most when trying to render its Gen Z students, often diving too far into caricature.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 10 Oct. 2025
But Don’s picture-perfect life comes crashing down when a local male stripper named Blue (Hunter McVey), who just so happens to be dressed like a sexy firefighter, stumbles upon the 113 at the scene of an emergency.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Oct. 2025
Even if The Witcher stumbles over the finish line, there may be one character worth spinning off.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
As the rest of the division stumbles — the New York Jets are winless, and the Miami Dolphins have only one win — the Patriots, between Vrabel and Maye, appear to have the building blocks in place to be a thorn in the Bills’ side.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 6 Oct. 2025
After one thousand years of isolation, Iblis is given temporary freedom when Ka-young (Bae Suzy), a small town mechanic who doesn’t experience empathy, literally stumbles upon his lamp during a vacation in the deserts of Dubai.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Wallen then stumbles to his feet in the middle of the road, as rain pours down, with close-up images showing Wallen in tattered clothes and covered in scrapes and cuts.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
However, there were stumbles along the way.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
The album is not without some small stumbles.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
If the connection is spotty or the model is hosted hundreds of miles away, even the most advanced AI stumbles.
—Ivo Ivanov, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
That’s where this eight-episode show stumbles.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
The lawsuit marks the latest in a series of stumbles at Verily, which, despite raising more than $1 billion from investors, has struggled to latch onto a winning product.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
That's when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Things do get more interesting when Mia stumbles upon an improbable house in the middle of the woods, occupied by a witchy old lady (Robin Bartlett).
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
The film follows a finance guy named Alex (Arnett), who after splitting from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), stumbles into an unlikely hobby as a standup comic.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
The screenplay stumbles the most when trying to render its Gen Z students, often diving too far into caricature.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 10 Oct. 2025
But Don’s picture-perfect life comes crashing down when a local male stripper named Blue (Hunter McVey), who just so happens to be dressed like a sexy firefighter, stumbles upon the 113 at the scene of an emergency.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Oct. 2025
Even if The Witcher stumbles over the finish line, there may be one character worth spinning off.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
As the rest of the division stumbles — the New York Jets are winless, and the Miami Dolphins have only one win — the Patriots, between Vrabel and Maye, appear to have the building blocks in place to be a thorn in the Bills’ side.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 6 Oct. 2025
After one thousand years of isolation, Iblis is given temporary freedom when Ka-young (Bae Suzy), a small town mechanic who doesn’t experience empathy, literally stumbles upon his lamp during a vacation in the deserts of Dubai.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Wallen then stumbles to his feet in the middle of the road, as rain pours down, with close-up images showing Wallen in tattered clothes and covered in scrapes and cuts.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
The confidence showed in Game 1 against the Dodgers, and the Brewers avoided the first-inning stumbles that vexed them against the Cubs.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
However, there were stumbles along the way.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
The album is not without some small stumbles.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
If the connection is spotty or the model is hosted hundreds of miles away, even the most advanced AI stumbles.
—Ivo Ivanov, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
That’s where this eight-episode show stumbles.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
The lawsuit marks the latest in a series of stumbles at Verily, which, despite raising more than $1 billion from investors, has struggled to latch onto a winning product.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
That's when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles
Verb
-
However, compared to his older stepbrothers, his net worth falls a little bit short.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Defeat away against Italy on Tuesday would confirm this to be another qualification campaign that falls short.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tagovailoa struggles with accuracy For the Dolphins, Tagovailoa struggled in this game.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The pieces are set to perfectly align in London against a Jets defense that blitzes all the time but struggles to properly pressure.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gakpo is deeper, and Wirtz pushes forward as the central member of Liverpool’s forward line, while Ekitike shuffles across as the left of the trio.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Iain also makes a good-looking tart with raspberries and white chocolate (gag) on the top but then somehow fumbles it while trying to put it on his display stand.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
-
While both teams were in position to flip some results, the Ravens have to feel a little snakebitten with how their games have played out, including a couple of fourth-quarter Derrick Henry fumbles.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Advertisement There was also a growing feeling that a few more mistakes in Sweida and in coastal Latakia, where Syrian forces massacred Alawites in early March, and the world could turn against the new President.—
Hassan Hassan,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Cable operators such as Charter and its biggest peer in the sector, Comcast, are working to fix the customer service mistakes of the past in order to sell themselves as the best value option for consumers.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Within those questions is the greatness revealed when the image moves again, when charging Eagles safety Reed Blankenship lifts a hand to tip Mayfield’s fourth-quarter throw, when the flailing football tumbles into linebacker Jihaad Campbell’s arms near the pylon.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
According to Burlison, the video shows a high-speed object—presumably the missile—hitting the orb, which then deforms, tumbles, and sheds smaller fragments, one barely visible.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike overlapping or hook-and-eye designs that can get tricky, the zipper makes bathroom trips much easier—an incredibly practical feature.—
Brigitt Earley,
Glamour,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Dunkin’ Donuts, Mister Softee, trips to Bridgeport with her sister and her mother, a shabby zoo or a museum.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 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
-
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 16 Oct. 2025.
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