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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The Russians had made a mistake, with Sikharulidze stumbling out of a double axel.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Whether Allen was in the process of turning and running away or stumbling in a chaotic scene in a wobbly subway car was unclear.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
After stumbling out to a 13-15 start this season, the Warriors went 12-4 over the past month to rise to eighth in the Western Conference.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
After falling, the ball girl can be seen quickly getting to her feet, before stumbling again.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
The study is due in February and will make recommendations on how to keep State Farm from stumbling again.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026
This setup lends itself to plenty of comedy as Bea’s inexperience leads to stumbling and rookie mistakes.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Alabama’s Ty Simpson looked great through Halloween before stumbling down the stretch in his only season as a college starter last fall.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The Russians had made a mistake, with Sikharulidze stumbling out of a double axel.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Whether Allen was in the process of turning and running away or stumbling in a chaotic scene in a wobbly subway car was unclear.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
After stumbling out to a 13-15 start this season, the Warriors went 12-4 over the past month to rise to eighth in the Western Conference.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
After falling, the ball girl can be seen quickly getting to her feet, before stumbling again.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
The study is due in February and will make recommendations on how to keep State Farm from stumbling again.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026
This setup lends itself to plenty of comedy as Bea’s inexperience leads to stumbling and rookie mistakes.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Alabama’s Ty Simpson looked great through Halloween before stumbling down the stretch in his only season as a college starter last fall.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Verb
-
But absent any concerning signs that the labor market is falling a cliff, the Fed will also likely turn to inflation data for the cue on when to lower rates again.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But their story appears to be falling apart.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While a win over struggling Rutgers, which has lost five in a row, isn’t the biggest addition to USC’s résumé, every win in Big Ten play is critical for the Trojans, who hope to build their case for an NCAA tournament berth.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Our state government is struggling to pass audits, electric rates are rising and, despite Moore’s sunny pronouncements, the cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge has exploded from less than 2 billion to more than 5 billion dollars.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even when the locals lost faith, Villa remained focused, forever shuffling side to side and defending with the same urgency.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Go on a street food tour Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet, as any visitor stalled in traffic or fumbling for cash to top up a transit card discovers, the old Seoul persists beneath the new.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
What to know about the Patriots-Texans game Despite three turnovers and Drake Maye fumbling four times, the Patriots held on to beat the Houston Texans, 28-16.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Against Gauff, Svitolina displayed relentless aggression, attacking the American’s faltering forehand.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The company’s aging lineup and slow-selling Cybertruck faces growing competition from fresher EVs offered by mainstream carmakers, while the loss of federal tax credits for EV purchasers in the US has put more pressure on demand that already was faltering.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Cognitive Mercury and upbeat Jupiter are tripping over one another, potentially impacting your day-to-day routine or plans with your friends.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
30 Jan. 2026
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There should never be too many things piled up in a home, especially next to points of exit and entry, which could be a tripping hazard.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Our party walked single file to minimize the chance of blundering onto private property.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Read All About It A Missouri woman was sentenced to more than four years in prison in a brazen and blundering attempt to steal Graceland from the family of Elvis Presley.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Han will be posted up by the Milennium Falcon and/or Oga’s Cantina, Luke will be stomping his Chanel boots in the marketplace, and Darth Vader will be force-choking dads in Grumpy tees.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Then there’s the people watching, from the tailgating to the communal divot stomping, full of dramatic sun dresses and hats with flourishes, seersucker suits and, yes, hats with flourishes.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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