STUMBLES (UPON) Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

stumbles (upon)

verb

present tense third-person singular of stumble (upon)

as in encounters

to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face stumbled upon an old acquaintance at the airport

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles (upon)

Verb

Set on England’s southern coast after an unexplained catastrophe, the darkly comic novel follows a beachcomber who encounters a mysterious, shape-shifting artifact.

— Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
From there, Seyfried becomes part of the documentary herself, reprising her role as Holmes in reenactments of conversations and encounters Fielder was unable to capture on camera.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of encounters

Verb

The program meets military medics, corpsmen and service members at the crossroads of their transition, guiding them into professional health programs.

— Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 11 Nov. 2026
At the location in North Miami-Dade, a group of Black veterans meets every day of the year except for Christmas.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of meets

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.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stumbles (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbles%20%28upon%29. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stumbles (upon)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

lissome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes