Synonyms of stumble

stumble 1 of 6

verb (1)

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

• fall
• slip
• trip
• tumble
• topple
• collapse
• plop
• slide
• crash
• skid
• plunge
• drop
• plummet
• crumple
• plunk
• precipitate
• wipe out
• slump (over)
• keel
• plonk
• flump
• nose-dive
• free-fall

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stand (up)
• rise
• get up
• uprise

2

as in to struggle

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually

stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• struggle
• trudge
• blunder
• shuffle
• flounder
• limp
• fumble
• lurch
• jog
• bumble
• falter
• plod
• sway
• lumber
• stagger
• flog
• shamble
• reel
• totter
• wallow
• muddle
• welter
• teeter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coast
• fly
• glide
• sail
• zoom
• zip
• kilt

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

• shuffle
• stomp
• lurch
• trudge
• shamble
• slough
• flounder
• haul
• barge
• drag
• stagger
• weave
• clump
• lump
• scuff
• scuffle
• tramp
• pound
• stamp
• galumph
• plod
• stump
• slog
• lumber
• flog
• tromp
• sway
• flop
• totter
• blunder
• waddle
• reel
• wabble
• wobble
• careen
• teeter
• dodder

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coast
• slide
• breeze
• glide
• hang
• drift
• whisk
• waltz
• float
• hover
• waft
• poise

4

as in to fumble

to make a mistake

that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumble
• trip
• blunder
• err
• slip up
• nod
• flub
• mistake
• misunderstand
• lay an egg
• screw up
• drop the ball
• goof (up)
• louse up
• fluff
• foul up
• boob
• mess (up)
• botch
• bungle
• misjudge
• miscalculate
• mangle
• butcher
• murder
• misconceive
• misinterpret
• mishandle
• misconstrue
• muff
• bobble
• miscue
• foozle
• miscount
• misdeem
• misgauge

stumble

2 of 6

noun

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

• mistake
• blunder
• error
• fumble
• trip
• misstep
• slip
• flub
• brick
• miscue
• goof
• bobble
• inaccuracy
• fault
• gaff
• gaffe
• slipup
• lapse
• screwup
• boob
• clinker
• clanger
• fluff
• oversight
• boo-boo
• pratfall
• blooper
• bloomer
• misunderstanding
• howler
• snafu
• boner
• misreading
• misstatement
• miscalculation
• misinterpretation
• misjudgment
• misconstruction
• misconception
• misapprehension
• miscomprehension
• misdescription
• misimpression
• foul-up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accuracy
• precision
• exactness
• correctness
• exactitude
• strictness
• perfection
• infallibility
• preciseness
• inerrancy

2

as in fall

the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily

has bones so brittle that a minor stumble could result in a serious break

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fall
• tumble
• spill
• slip
• trip
• slide
• dive
• plunge
• skid
• misstep
• pratfall
• header
• descent
• free-fall

stumble (on or onto)

3 of 6

verb (2)

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

• find
• encounter
• hit (upon)
• meet
• happen (on or upon)
• come across
• tumble (upon)
• run into
• pitch (upon)
• run against
• run across
• light (on or upon)
• run upon
• luck (out, on, onto, or into)
• bump into
• face
• chance (upon)
• discover
• confront
• turn up
• strike

stumble (upon)

4 of 6

verb (3)

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

• encounter
• meet
• happen (upon)
• catch
• run upon
• confront
• run into
• run across
• bump into
• greet
• chance (upon)
• cross paths (with)
• hit (upon)
• face
• tumble (to)
• light (upon)
• crash (into)
• salute
• collide (with)
• accost
• cross
• pass
• remeet
• crisscross
• reencounter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escape
• avoid
• shake
• evade
• elude
• shun
• dodge
• duck

stumbling

5 of 6

adjective

as in muttering

Synonyms & Similar Words

• muttering
• faltering
• sputtering
• mumbling
• stuttering
• hesitant
• stammering
• halting
• maundering
• inarticulate
• unvocal
• voiceless
• ineloquent
• mute
• speechless
• tongueless
• tongue-tied

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• articulate
• eloquent
• fluent
• glib
• verbal
• facile
• voluble
• well-spoken
• vocal
• silver-tongued
• expressive
• outspoken
• smooth-tongued

stumbling

6 of 6

verb (4)

present participle of stumble

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

• falling
• tripping
• slipping
• tumbling
• toppling
• collapsing
• sliding
• crashing
• skidding
• plopping
• plunging
• dropping
• crumpling
• plunking
• plummeting
• precipitating
• slumping (over)
• plonking
• wiping out
• keeling
• flumping
• free-falling
• nose-diving

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rising
• standing (up)
• uprising
• getting up

2

as in struggling

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually

stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• struggling
• blundering
• shuffling
• floundering
• trudging
• limping
• lurching
• fumbling
• bumbling
• plodding
• lumbering
• jogging
• shambling
• swaying
• faltering
• flogging
• reeling
• staggering
• tottering
• wallowing
• muddling
• teetering
• weltering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flying
• gliding
• coasting
• sailing
• zooming
• zipping
• kilting

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

• shuffling
• stomping
• lurching
• barging
• floundering
• shambling
• trudging
• pounding
• sloughing
• hauling
• dragging
• scuffling
• weaving
• stamping
• clumping
• staggering
• scuffing
• tramping
• plodding
• stumping
• lumping
• galumphing
• lumbering
• slogging
• swaying
• flopping
• flogging
• blundering
• tottering
• waddling
• tromping
• reeling
• wobbling
• careening
• teetering
• wabbling
• doddering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sliding
• gliding
• coasting
• floating
• waltzing
• drifting
• hanging
• whisking
• hovering
• breezing
• wafting
• poising

4

as in fumbling

to make a mistake

that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumbling
• tripping
• blundering
• nodding
• erring
• flubbing
• mistaking
• fluffing
• misunderstanding
• slipping up
• boobing
• dropping the ball
• laying an egg
• goofing (up)
• screwing up
• fouling up
• messing (up)
• lousing up
• bungling
• mangling
• botching
• misjudging
• bobbling
• murdering
• muffing
• miscalculating
• butchering
• misconceiving
• miscuing
• miscounting
• misinterpreting
• mishandling
• misconstruing
• foozling
• misdeeming
• misgauging
• misgaging

Phrases Containing stumble

• stumble (on or onto)
• stumble (upon)