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"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to fumble
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
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?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of stumble
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Last year, a Florida man stumbled upon a shipwreck believed to date back 150 years.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Despite the stumble, Horan was clearly savoring every second.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
When a character speaks English, an accent is employed and the manner is often a bit stumbling.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
In the final cut, Mabel accidentally stumbles upon research being done by her biology professor (Kathy Najimy), discovers the technology, and hijacks a robot beaver.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Last year, a Florida man stumbled upon a shipwreck believed to date back 150 years.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
That makes the first-quarter stumble particularly notable.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Despite the stumble, Horan was clearly savoring every second.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Beavers was pinch-running for Ryan Mountcastle, who doubled to open the inning and was injured while stumbling into second base.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
When a character speaks English, an accent is employed and the manner is often a bit stumbling.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Noun
-
Unfortunately, admitting mistakes doesn’t come easily for many people.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
To avoid this big mistake, figure out in advance exactly how deep the hole should be, and be careful not to dig any deeper.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The duo made up for the absence of Wembanyama, who did not clear concussion protocol after a nasty fall knocked him out early from a Game 2 loss.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
For one thing, precedent says that Waddle’s production this fall should, health permitting (knocks on wood), just about double whatever numbers Cooper puts out as a rookie for the J-E-T-S in 2026.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tunsil plummeted out of the top ten, falling all the way to the 13th pick, where the Miami Dolphins were the beneficiaries of his blunder.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
That such a blunder might be shrugged off and even celebrated, rather than shamefully shunted away, struck Schuch as a very American notion.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gold prices could drop to $4,000 per ounce There's a chance the gold prices take a tumble again, especially given their most recent uptick.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Recall that a flagellar motor switches directions, causing the bacterium to tumble, when environmental conditions seem to be getting worse.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Milan supporters must hope that happens before the end of their faltering campaign.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The faltering fiction offered here certainly doesn’t justify 10 episodes, the runtimes of which range from about 35 minutes to nearly an hour.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Following a throwing error that allowed Trevor Story to reach with two outs, Marcelo Mayer drove an RBI double the opposite way off the Green Monster to give the Red Sox their first lead of the series.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The surplus turned out to be a mirage, based on a $165 billion error in revenue estimates over four years.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Beyond the disruption the conflict with Iran is causing to global energy supplies — from which the US is not insulated, with gasoline prices rising to the highest level in almost four years — satellite imagery suggests oil spills from the war may soon trigger an ecological catastrophe.—
Natasha Bracken,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
State police said the crash caused a diesel fuel spill.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
-
If the Jets beat Philadelphia on Saturday, Winnipeg’s locker room is going to be filled with all kinds of belief that the once sputtering Jets can make the playoffs after all.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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