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
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
as in muttering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stumbling
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2025
After being buyers at the trade deadline, including revamping their bullpen with the addition of Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers, the Mets have stumbled through August with a 1-8 record during the month.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
John Liu, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
The move is meant to keep Retzlaff on the field despite his stumbles at BYU.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumbling
Noun
The bride, keen to wear emerging designers with a strong point of view, stumbled across the closing look from Conner Ives’s fall 2025 show, which the designer had just presented in London.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2025
After being buyers at the trade deadline, including revamping their bullpen with the addition of Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers, the Mets have stumbled through August with a 1-8 record during the month.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
But recent stumbles – including its failure to capitalize early on the artificial intelligence boom – has left it outmaneuvered, experts say, as the company struggles with deepening market share losses.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
The move is meant to keep Retzlaff on the field despite his stumbles at BYU.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Noun
-
What’s the most common mistake people make when trying to recreate the Honey Deuce at home?—
Emily Cappiello,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Austin Jackson told reporters last month that the players were behind the decision to run laps after committing penalties or mental mistakes in practice.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Arnold and his teammates want to maintain the momentum that started last fall.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
-
For the summer annuals that are still thriving, combine them with fall annuals such as mums, pansies, or violas.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Over the past decade, the legendary team was known for tragic blunders regarding decision making and communication.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
-
In total, Bonilla will walk away with a $29.8 million payday because of Wilpon’s blunder.—
Allen Kim,
CNN Money,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
Now, just $60 billion separates Musk from Oracle’s Larry Ellison—and another Tesla tumble could see Musk dethroned as the world’s richest man.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The market treating Friday’s setback as a standard seasonal shakeout for now: Overbought indexes, a bit of speculative froth and complacency about the state of the economy under tariffs set us up for a bit of a jolt, then came Friday’s tumble accompanied by a pop in the VIX above 20.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
When applied across a $500 million capital investment in net new builds—where UPS systems might account for only a small portion—the effect is at less than 1%, effectively a rounding error in the overall budget.—
Ryan Mallory,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Christian Kuntz for making a bunch of errors at the hot corner.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The spill was contained with booms, the Emergency Services report said.—
Brian Rokos,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
After the Exxon Valdez spill in March 1989, Crowley invested $1.5 billion to retrofit its fleet of smaller tankers to add double hulls.—
Christopher Helman,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
It was ruled an incomplete pass rather than fumble... Malik Washington had a 15-yard run.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The Patriots’ defense came away with four interceptions and a fumble recovery.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Today, simple ivory slip dresses remain a popular style and are sold everywhere from Victoria Beckham and Max Mara to Reformation and Rixo.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann’s small slip of paper in his sock during the 2006 World Cup quarter-final shootout against Argentina is often cited as the origin point in the modern game.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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