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
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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
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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?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumble
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
The bullpen even found some redemption after two late stumbles in New York.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
But Musk stumbled at least seven times in ways that possibly put his chances at winning in jeopardy.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
The stumbles seen on race day were largely engineering hiccups—hardware tuning, stability margins—not fundamental limits of AI.
—Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
The bullpen even found some redemption after two late stumbles in New York.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
Right-hander Roki Sasaki strengthened his case Saturday with a quality start, despite some hiccups, as the Dodgers fell 3-2 to the Cardinals, extending their losing streak to four games.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Jupiter Jupiter, as darkness falls, will be roughly one-third up from the western horizon to the point directly overhead.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The contestants struggled mighty hard with the songs.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pornographic deepfake images of her have circulated online, making the singer the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and antiabuse groups have struggled to fix.—
Maria Sherman,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
MotoGP also had to shuffle its schedule due to the conflict in the Middle East, postponing the Qatar Grand Prix to November.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
7 May 2026
-
But sometimes, simply shuffling the pieces can help, in our view.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The world is still reeling from the news that anyone would fumble Megan Thee Stallion.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
3 May 2026
-
In its bid to get out in front of the FCC’s inquiry, however, the NFL may have fumbled its advantage over CBS.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The Magic became stagnant and settled for poor shots while the Pistons took full advantage of Orlando’s mistakes.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
-
In fact, many passengers unknowingly make small mistakes in premium cabins that can affect both their own comfort and the overall flight experience.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The nun takes a big tumble and remains on the pavement, as the man starts walking away.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
-
In an ideal world, judges would be insulated as much as possible from the rough-and-tumble of conventional politics and simply would be asked to apply the law — and their good sense — without such pressures.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Disney shares slipped around 1% on the news in Tuesday trading.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While the seven-round draft feels exhaustive each year, the truth is good prospects, even Hall of Fame caliber ones, can slip through.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This is a fantastic shoe to stomp around town in, thanks to its thick rubber lug sole.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
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From February through May, the males of this colorful bird species do a quick-stomping dance and make a low booming sound to attract a mate.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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