stumbling 1 of 2

adjective

as in muttering

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stumbling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stumble
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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2
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"

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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

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.
Recent Examples of stumbling
Verb
Ginger’s still stumbling over the revelation when McMann and Lonnie arrive to abduct her at gunpoint. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026 After stumbling into an intro to acting class, the 28-year-old quickly caught the professor’s attention. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026 The Chargers are the NFL’s only remaining winless team, stumbling to an 0-6 start for the first time since 2000. — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026 There was upset after upset, and a few teams were on the verge of stumbling as well. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Resendiz finished strongly, sending Mazoudier stumbling backward in the final minute. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Not everybody getting off the ride, stumbling to see their picture on the wall, agrees that the thrills were worth the chills. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026 In an era of geotags and influencers, there’s something deeply satisfying about stumbling upon a place that still feels like a secret. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
  1. faltering
  2. falling
  3. struggling
  4. shuffling
  5. fumbling
  6. sputtering
  7. tripping
  8. blundering
Adjective
  • But after 10 years and nearly a billion dollars spent on water quality projects and programs, Vermont’s cleanup effort is faltering.
    — Jonathan Mingle, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The star rocker then insists the lake name change was a diversion from a faltering presidency.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltering
Verb
  • Oil prices plunged over the past week, sinking by $25 to their lowest point in three months and briefly falling below $90 a barrel Tuesday.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The pipeline from military service to national political leadership is well-established in the United States, yet the number of veterans in political office is falling.
    — Brandon J Archuleta, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • Florida was struggling under interim coach Billy Gonzales, a longtime Meyer assistant, and the Gators failed to carry any emotion into a 31-11 loss as the Vols’ ended two-decade drought in Swamp.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The outlet suggested Lively and Reynolds were putting on a brave face for the cameras but struggling behind-the-scenes.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • For the most part, this was a second consecutive solid performance by a group that will likely undergo major personnel shuffling all season.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • That's because astronomers have discovered two husks of two zombie planets shuffling through the gory remains of what was once their planetary neighbors around a long-deceased star, or white dwarf.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • The FactPostNews accounts gained millions of new followers and billions of impressions across platforms, and the organization largely avoided becoming a story itself after fumbling the release of its 2024 autopsy report.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • His wife, Galina, a noble beauty, excels at the role of the plumed bird in a cage and yet suffers for it, fumbling around awkwardly for an escape.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of fumbling
Adjective
  • About a minute later, Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching.
    — KIM CHANDLER, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026
  • About a minute into the injection, Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching that lasted about another minute.
    — David Fischer, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of sputtering
Verb
  • Pittsburgh forward Tommy Novak, who scored and added an assist during a third-period rally, was called for tripping shortly after the teams returned to even strength.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Without adequate calf muscle strength, the calf muscles can fatigue quickly, leading to foot dragging or tripping.
    — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of tripping
Verb
  • Only a blundering idiot could spoil such an alliance and threaten damage to Florida’s economy.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • On Monday, the first day of the trial in which Basabe is representing himself without an attorney, the proceedings were shaded by Basabe’s blundering legal missteps and procedural chaos.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of blundering

Phrases Containing stumbling

Browse Nearby Words

stumble (upon)
stumbling
stumbling block
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Cite this Entry

“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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