1
as in to fall
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to struggle
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 to shuffle
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 to fumble
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
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1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
stumbled on some old family photos when she was cleaning out a drawer
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to encounter
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
stumbled upon an old acquaintance at the airport
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in muttering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in fumbling
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumble
Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Madrid stumbled, in one of the most disappointing and disruptive periods in recent memory.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also shrugged off some of the early stumbles, arguing that Musk and DOGE are committed to quickly correcting mistakes.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
The Rossoneri stumbled to an eighth-place finish in Serie A and lost the Coppa Italia Final to Bologna – a defeat analysed in this previous column – as coaches Paulo Fonseca and Sérgio Conceição both failed to make a positive impact.
—Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Madrid stumbled, in one of the most disappointing and disruptive periods in recent memory.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
Australia's Min Woo Lee recovered from a late stumble, making clutch pars on Nos. 17 and 18 to win the Houston Open for his first career PGA Tour win.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also shrugged off some of the early stumbles, arguing that Musk and DOGE are committed to quickly correcting mistakes.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Noun
-
Choosing smoothies low in protein and fiber, adding sugary ingredients to your smoothie, and using low-calorie smoothies as meal replacements are just some of the smoothie mistakes that could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
3 June 2025
-
After his first-inning throwing error, Pages made a mistake on the bases in the second.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
The back-to-back hurricanes that struck Fulford’s farm last fall happen in West Florida an average of once every decade, but could occur as frequently as every one to two years by 2100 because of climate change, according to Princeton researchers.—
Rose Schnabel,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2025
-
Last fall, as a heavy storm system ravaged parts of Texas, the captain was one of three service members deployed from the Killeen Fire Department.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
Viewers speculated whether this was a blunder, power play or something else.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
27 May 2025
-
Many of the nation’s biggest military blunders occurred because there wasn’t enough diversity in the armed forces.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Still in a slow tumble, the ship started shedding scorched chunks of its skin before the screen went black.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2025
-
There’s a tumble of XXL petals on the facade of this nine-level, 40,000-square-foot building, which since November has been home to 180 employees, including an eight-strong prototyping team.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Only one major-league third baseman, the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado, has more errors than Muncy’s eight through his first 49 games of the season.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
-
The poll of 1,136 Democrats carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Tips To Preserve Your Seal Follow these tips to preserve the seal on your marble: Wipe up spills immediately, especially chemicals and acidic ingredients that can stain like tomato sauce, wine, and coffee.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 May 2025
-
The spill causing serious burns to his leg and private area.—
Robert Tyson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
Jack Schellenberg and Mateo Rivera each recovered a fumble, Noah Prince had a strip-sack fumble recovery and Lemuel Bass had an interception.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2025
-
As a junior, the 6-2, 265-pound edge rusher tore apart opposing offenses, setting an NCAA record with 24 sacks to go along with 31.5 TFLs and six forced fumbles, sparking ASU to its first winning season in six years.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
In areas with cool summers, cover the planting area with black plastic and plant the slips through slits in the plastic, which warms the soil and speeds development.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2025
-
The announce team tried to gaslight viewers by saying the move was more devastating due to the slip.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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