as in finding
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
stumbled on some old family photos when she was cleaning out a drawer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling (on or onto)
Verb
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The Los Angeles pop-punk trio spends its seventh album wrestling with nostalgia, finding nuance and emotional complexity in their everyday grievances.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026 -
While investigators interviewed hundreds of people connected to Plasse without finding her killer, the Chicopee Police Department became embroiled in scandal.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sandweg also said the Border Patrol has no business operating in a city like Minneapolis because their training is geared more toward encountering drug cartels and migrants along the border.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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The book begins with a familiar spark, a rescue, but Wells wanted to push the setting into something stronger and tougher to move through, eventually coming up with another unique sci-fi setting that Murderbot and its friends can navigate while encountering friends, foes and more eye contact.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stumbling (on or onto).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20%28on%20or%20onto%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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