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
  • Some brands had already weathered payment problems leading up to Neiman Marcus’s 2020 bankruptcy before encountering Saks Global’s more recent troubles.
    — Rachel Felder, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Sometimes, encountering darkness in fiction or in a history or in another’s life becomes an unexpected opportunity for release, for catharsis, for focusing one’s energy elsewhere.
    — Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of encountering
Verb
  • Acceptance of the former is advancing, with more than 50 countries meeting in Colombia this year to grapple with how exactly to do it.
    — Stephanie Walton, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But Kye is insecure about the scars on his chest and on his head, so the girl agrees to blindfold herself with a silk scarf before meeting him.
    — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stumbling (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20%28upon%29. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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