stumbling (upon)

verb

present participle of stumble (upon)
as in encountering
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face stumbled upon an old acquaintance at the airport

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling (upon)
  1. encountering
  2. meeting
Verb
  • Yet early-career professionals are not the only people encountering hiring barriers.
    — Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Often equal parts unproven and exciting, often unknown, often encountering the Premier League for the first time.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of encountering
Verb
  • The cumulative impression of Alice that the book leaves is of someone moving serenely through life, meeting fond blessings and awful curses both with the same calm equanimity.
    — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • After meeting at a Neville Brothers crawfish boil, the pair wandered through the French Quarter, eventually trailed by an impromptu parade of Deadheads.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of meeting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

stumbling (on or onto)
stumbling (upon)
stump
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Cite this Entry

“Stumbling (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20%28upon%29. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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