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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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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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
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 Charlie Pankow Moorpark The fumbling, bumbling Chargers keep stumbling in their unprecedented 0-4 start in the Jim Harbaugh era. — Los Angeles Times, 10 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
  • The star rocker then insists the lake name change was a diversion from a faltering presidency.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The messages, along with public corruption and the government’s faltering response to Hurricane María, brought thousands into the streets.
    — Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltering
Verb
  • The Senate homeland security committee has one of the broadest investigative jurisdictions in Congress, with instances of waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, and mismanagement across the federal government all falling within the panel’s purview.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In a potentially troublesome sign for the future, analysts have noted that while tech earnings remain strong, many of their potential clients are struggling, with borrowing weak and non-AI investment falling.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • Tage Thompson had three goals and two assists, Zach Benson added a goal and two assists, and the Buffalo Sabres scored six consecutive goals during a 7-6 victory over the struggling Ducks on Thursday night.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Even today, with United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin struggling to bring their large Vulcan and New Glenn rockets into service, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have become a single-point failure for national security launches.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • 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
  • In late 2026, reports came out that SpaceX is shuffling its staff in an attempt to focus its resources on developing and commercializing Starship, while phasing out the Falcon 9.
    — Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • After fumbling the opening kickoff to set up a Panthers field goal and going three-and-out on their first series, the Packers (5-3) scored touchdowns on three of their next four possessions to take command.
    — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
  • After fumbling twice in Michigan State territory, halting offensive momentum, the Bruins were trailing going into the second quarter and tied 7-7 with three minutes left in the second quarter.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumbling
Adjective
  • Another contentious budget decision Becerra must make soon is what to do about the sputtering bullet train.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The 2020s have been full of young artists whose brains were rewired by E+E, Chuquimamani-Condori’s early alias for sputtering patchworks of Latin electronica, and revel in semioblitz bliss.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of sputtering
Verb
  • Without adequate calf muscle strength, the calf muscles can fatigue quickly, leading to foot dragging or tripping.
    — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In overtime, the Golden Knights quickly took advantage of a tripping penalty on Kings center Scott Laughton.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 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 6 Nov. 2026.

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