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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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
Drew Cukor, Fortune, 11 May 2026
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026
Sabres winger Zach Benson took advantage of Lane Hutson stumbling at the defensive blue line, and grabbed a loose puck before setting up Josh Doan for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Trone later responded to Vance’s attacks in a video posted to social media that included the clip of the vice president stumbling over her name.
—Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
The group spent nearly an hour stumbling through the intricacies of federal law before taking votes on certain proposals against the wishes of several federal members.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
The title track, with its glassy melody and woozy, almost stumbling groove, deploys wholesome, end-of-the-night, comedown energy not unlike Bicep’s most beloved tracks.
—Reid Bg, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Pack comfortable shoes and enjoy stumbling upon the secrets of the city.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Jerry Jones stood from his seat at the press conference and almost fell off the stage, stumbling his way over, to shake Clinton’s hand.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
America is building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence but stumbling badly in applying it.
—Drew Cukor, Fortune, 11 May 2026
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026
Sabres winger Zach Benson took advantage of Lane Hutson stumbling at the defensive blue line, and grabbed a loose puck before setting up Josh Doan for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Trone later responded to Vance’s attacks in a video posted to social media that included the clip of the vice president stumbling over her name.
—Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
The group spent nearly an hour stumbling through the intricacies of federal law before taking votes on certain proposals against the wishes of several federal members.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
The title track, with its glassy melody and woozy, almost stumbling groove, deploys wholesome, end-of-the-night, comedown energy not unlike Bicep’s most beloved tracks.
—Reid Bg, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Pack comfortable shoes and enjoy stumbling upon the secrets of the city.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Jerry Jones stood from his seat at the press conference and almost fell off the stage, stumbling his way over, to shake Clinton’s hand.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Verb
-
Oakland's housing market is seeing some of the steepest price declines in the country, with home values falling sharply as sellers, buyers and real estate agents navigate a difficult market.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
Despite this spark of hope, by his teens, Ian’s dreams of becoming a soccer player are falling apart as rejection, oppression and his own internal rage take their toll.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
At the time, the group had around two dozen employees and was struggling for financial stability.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The key will be to continue building off the encouraging start, especially after struggling with his command in Colorado last week.—
Jesús Cano,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
There was major line shuffling overall by Cooper on this night.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
YoshimiO, sharing fellow ’90s icon Flea’s recent interest in the instrument, turns in a credible trumpet line during the track’s shuffling, exuberant second half.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace hit three-pointers while Smart was fumbling the ball and James and Hachimura were missing shots, while an Oklahoma City 8-0 run eventually gave them another 13-point lead that was never again challenged.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The result leaves nearly every performer fumbling for traction in Serkis and Stoller’s muddy-yet-gutless cinematic sty.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
How seriously the club’s owners at Fenway Sports Group (FSG) take this next transfer window will potentially determine how quickly this faltering team get back on track.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
His paintings became increasingly concerned with nonhumans, the transmission of energy, and faltering systems.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
His attorney claims Hall broke her leg on her own after tripping on her dog.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Here’s hoping Elordi prioritizes his rest and relaxation in lieu of tripping the light fantastic on the Cannes red carpet.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Verizon never would have gotten the chance to buy Yahoo’s online operations if not for the company’s perpetual blundering under seven different CEOs in 16 years.—
Michael Liedtke,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From February through May, the males of this colorful bird species do a quick-stomping dance and make a low booming sound to attract a mate.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
-
That’s the sound of clogs slowly stomping back into the spotlight.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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