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
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Recent Examples of stumbling
Robyn Koslowitz, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025
Undefeated with a record of 7-0, Ukah stumbled into MMA almost by accident.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
The vice president blamed traveling for his May debate stumble.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2025
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The sighting comes just two months after Clinton was spotted stumbling on a New York City sidewalk outside the 92NY, a cultural center in the Big Apple.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumbling
Noun
Even young kids can stumble on these images and videos, especially when something’s trending, or when multiple copies of a video are bombarding the feed, overriding even the most stringent parental controls.
—Robyn Koslowitz, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025
Undefeated with a record of 7-0, Ukah stumbled into MMA almost by accident.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
The vice president blamed traveling for his May debate stumble.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Whew The last thing a team wants to see is its starting quarterback stumbling to the sideline four plays into the season.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The sighting comes just two months after Clinton was spotted stumbling on a New York City sidewalk outside the 92NY, a cultural center in the Big Apple.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
Noun
-
Learn from the loss, correct the mistakes and move forward.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Even his mistake for Damsgaard’s opener brought more of a stunned silence than exasperated groans or impulsive anger from the locals.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Matthews, an Old Dominion transfer now in his second season with the Spartans, has been one of the team’s most productive defenders this fall.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
-
When the weather begins to turn from the heat of summer to the crisp chill of fall, a comforting bowl of beef tips over noodles hits the spot.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Jones said the 49ers’ two biggest blunders Sunday were his fault.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Although a faux pas wasn't the case here, Roan has endured blunders in the past.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Though Bellinger was eventually called out on spectator interference rather than the catch itself, Martin’s fearless tumble over the wall stood out on a day in which the Twins shut out the Yankees (83-67) for the first time since 2008.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Jobs took a separate big tumble on September 5 when the jobs numbers for August came out.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
With the job market faltering and new tariffs adding uncertainty to the economy, futures markets are pricing in as many as two additional cuts — totaling 75 basis points — by the end of the year, according to the CME FedWatch tool, which tracks investor expectations for Fed policy.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Washington — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the first time since December to support America’s faltering labor market.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Unlike traditional approaches, HydroSpread lets ultrathin polymer films form directly on water, eliminating the fragile and error-prone step of transferring films from rigid surfaces.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
-
In the fourth inning, Los Angeles got a run on Kolek’s throwing error that sailed into center field.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Our choice is between an oil spill in the Great Lakes and a clean water future for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The tribes and environmental groups contend the permit approvals failed to adequately consider the risks of potential oil spills.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While things got too close for comfort at times, the Hurricanes played through raining conditions and a sputtering offensive performance to dispatch the Florida Gators 26-7.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
-
The difference there is that Keanu Reeves is unflappable, while Odenkirk has a sputtering quality to him that adds a comedic layer to his bloody lash-outs.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
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