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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"
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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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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
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
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—Barbara Ortutay, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—ABC News, 5 June 2026
The goal of the game is to land the stunt successfully without stumbling.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
When reading one lawsuit for the first time, O’Day stops and speaks to the camera, stumbling a bit.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 June 2026
This includes people who do not know each other and who did not coordinate with one another to gather all somehow separately, hearing about Manhattanhenge (or simply stumbling across the crowd) and enjoying the view together.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 1 June 2026
The video then shows Henderson stumbling towards a wall in the area, where someone can be seen calling for help.
—Brittney Ermon, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Verb
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
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—Barbara Ortutay, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Apple has gotten off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as promised nearly two years ago.
—ABC News, 5 June 2026
The goal of the game is to land the stunt successfully without stumbling.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
When reading one lawsuit for the first time, O’Day stops and speaks to the camera, stumbling a bit.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 June 2026
This includes people who do not know each other and who did not coordinate with one another to gather all somehow separately, hearing about Manhattanhenge (or simply stumbling across the crowd) and enjoying the view together.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 1 June 2026
The video then shows Henderson stumbling towards a wall in the area, where someone can be seen calling for help.
—Brittney Ermon, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Verb
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Although the push to get Huang out of the race failed, the leftist’s campaign ended up falling flat, securing less than 3% of the vote in the primary.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Wall Street, meanwhile, got some relief from falling oil prices.—
Stan Choe,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Even as Sand downplays party politics, Democrats are putting faith in him to blaze a trail in the state after struggling electorally in recent cycles.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
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But as the two collaborators went on to explain, a superhero buddy comedy about a struggling actor that’s as interested in the logistics of auditions as saving the universe is a tough sell for any brand.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
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The move comes one year after the team promoted Saleh to general manager after another round of shuffling in its front office.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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But then again, neither is the Bears fumbling and bumbling.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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This has always been worrisome, but is even more concerning these days when many students’ literacy levels and math abilities are faltering.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
4 June 2026
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But now, as the public understands the consequences of a faltering democracy, more people are talking about it, Drutman said.—
Mary Ellen Klas,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Iliman Ndiaye should have conceded a penalty at Molineux for tripping Hugo Bueno while Garner deserved to be sent off at Villa Park.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Beauchamp tripping back in time, lost and separated in the highlands of 18th century Scotland.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The broadest of comedies, the film’s often puerile humor is driven by an endless stream of male bungling, blundering and whining, only to be kicked up a notch by pratfalls of nearly every variety, from getting bucked off a galloping horse to tripping into a pile of trash.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
27 May 2026
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Right now, the source of the disruption in the airline industry is the President’s blundering rather than a financial meltdown that originated on Wall Street.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Shouting, slamming doors and feet stomping are some of the noises that concern many home bakers anxiously awaiting a baking cake.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
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As anyone who's come within a hundred miles of the city will tell you, Nashville is a live-music mecca, overflowing with boot-stomping, fiddle-playing entertainment.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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