as in muttering
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1
as in falling
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggling
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 shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in fumbling
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumbling
ABC News, 17 June 2026
But stumbling into a town with a visual landscape that still shows Guedes' thumbprint was a delight.
—Matt Ozug, NPR, 17 June 2026
Angel City parting ways with Straus and Fuller is a shocking upheaval of a club that, despite stumbling to the summer break, has still shown more promise than recent seasons that produced similar results.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Before smartphones and social media, tracking it down (or stumbling upon it) was like uncovering a local secret.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
For them, a smarter alert can mean the difference between landing ready for a boardroom and stumbling in after an overnight airport stay.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
Below him, drunken partiers are stumbling back from a day in the unrelenting sun at the MGM Grand’s pool, many of them carrying inflatable tubes, and nearly all in various stages of undress.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Verb
Gane finished off Pereira in the second round to win the title on Sunday after sending him stumbling with a right jab followed by a hammer fist.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
But stumbling into a town with a visual landscape that still shows Guedes' thumbprint was a delight.
—Matt Ozug, NPR, 17 June 2026
Angel City parting ways with Straus and Fuller is a shocking upheaval of a club that, despite stumbling to the summer break, has still shown more promise than recent seasons that produced similar results.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Before smartphones and social media, tracking it down (or stumbling upon it) was like uncovering a local secret.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
For them, a smarter alert can mean the difference between landing ready for a boardroom and stumbling in after an overnight airport stay.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
Below him, drunken partiers are stumbling back from a day in the unrelenting sun at the MGM Grand’s pool, many of them carrying inflatable tubes, and nearly all in various stages of undress.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Adjective
-
However, despite a stellar rotation and lineup, a faltering bullpen could derail the Dodgers' World Series hopes, potentially leading to roster moves if performance doesn't improve.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Voters in the once-reliable Labor stronghold of Makerfield handed Burnham nearly 55% of the vote, rebuking both Starmer’s faltering government and surging right-wing challenger Reform UK.—
Kwiyeon Ha,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The aim is to prevent the level of pensions from falling and ward off the need for a big long-term increase of the levy employees pay into the pension system.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 June 2026
-
Low temperatures will remain warm and humid, falling only into the upper 70s.—
Michael Autovino,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country’s struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
-
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country's struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
The model of shuffling that the new result depends on, like Bayer and Diaconis’ before it, still assumes that the cards riffle down one by one, rather than in clumps.—
John Pavlus,
Quanta Magazine,
17 June 2026
-
The Calgary Flames will play their final season at Scotiabank Saddledome before shuffling into Scotia Place in 2027.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
My first few hours with the EM11 NL were marked by overshooting links, fumbling through simple selections, and occasionally wondering why anyone would voluntarily use a vertical mouse.—
Sascha Brodsky,
PC Magazine,
21 June 2026
-
Bennett is concerned, for instance, that Hong could win her primary and then be defeated in November by Republican Tom Tiffany, fumbling the governorship of a swing state into the hands of a far-right Freedom Caucus member who dabbled in 2020 election conspiracy theories.—
Will Lennon,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Their biggest bats were sputtering, too.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
-
This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Australia's Alessandro Circati was given a yellow card after tripping USA's Malik Tillman on the field.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
-
The ban prohibits any item that could obstruct lifeguard views, overcrowd the beach, create tripping hazards, or hinder emergency responders.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
When the toys use messaging apps to control their owners in ways that go terrifyingly unnoticed, humankind itself seems to be blundering about with its brain unplugged.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The consequences ranged from hobbling Reconstruction to hastening the end of the Ottoman Empire to poisonous deflation, and the blundering response by governments helped shape the modern world.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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