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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling (upon)
Verb
-
The shocking clip shows 27-year-old Emily Marzilli and friends encountering a hungry Bryde's whale while swimming near a school of sardines.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026 -
Each episode finds Xena (Lawless) and her companion Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) encountering characters from both history and mythology.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The two have been close since meeting at a 2014 Oscars after-party.—
Bryan West,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Nov. 2025
-
To this day, it's celebrated as one of the most iconic musical pairings ever captured on television — a shimmering handoff between generations and a snapshot of two powerhouse voices meeting in perfect harmony.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20%28upon%29. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share