stumble across/on/onto/upon

idiom

: to find or learn about (something) unexpectedly
I stumbled across/on/upon this book by chance.
We stumbled onto/across the ruins of an old fort.
They stumbled on/upon a bizarre plot.
He stumbled onto the truth.

Examples of stumble across/on/onto/upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Read Next World Metal detectorists stumble on 2,000-year-old Roman treasure in Netherlands. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025 But somehow, Embiid managed to stumble on a security guard’s foot and twist his ankle less than an hour before the Philadelphia 76ers’ Christmas Day game against the Boston Celtics. Jared Weiss, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024 As the documentary points out, YouTube’s algorithm heavily promotes playlists, making it so anyone interested in content about adoption or family vlogging would be likely to stumble upon the Stauffers’ content. Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025 In the new, stand-alone edition (the first aired in 2023), fraternal twins Devin (Sam McCarrthy) and Cece (Jayden Bartels) along with their friends stumble upon dark secrets that lead them to discover a chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for stumble across/on/onto/upon 

Dictionary Entries Near stumble across/on/onto/upon

stumble

stumble across/on/onto/upon

stumblebum

Cite this Entry

“Stumble across/on/onto/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stumble%20across%2Fon%2Fonto%2Fupon. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!