stumbling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of stumblingnext
as in muttering

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stumbling

2 of 2

verb

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in fumbling
to make a mistake that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air

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Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
  1. falling
  2. struggling
  3. shuffling
  4. tripping
  5. slipping
  6. hesitant
  7. halting
Verb
  • Even in a more benign scenario, its researchers also see Israel’s gross domestic product per head — which in recent years overtook the United Kingdom’s — falling this year, as Israel’s population grows faster than the economy and living standards decline.
    Hanna Ziady, CNN, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Though prices for Rolex sports watches keep falling, the smaller Rolex Day-Date has shot up in value—a full 57 percent in Auguest, according to the watch market tracker Everywatch.
    Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of falling
Verb
  • The struggling online retailer is in the midst of trying to effect a turnaround of its operations.
    Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Witnesses told investigators that Thomas was seen hours later struggling to drag something wrapped in a blue tarp down the apartment building stairs before placing the tarp in Abraham’s car, according to the affidavit.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • Honorable Mentions My Top Five stays the same as my recent mid-September update, but there was shuffling from #6-10 down the home stretch.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
  • Meanwhile, storm survivors were still scrounging for food and clean water and shuffling from shelter to shelter three days after Helene first made landfall in Florida.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • Traffic, tripping hazards and hard-to-spot costumes can become hazardous if precautions aren’t taken.
    Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 11 Oct. 2024
  • Aside from tech issues, the hardest part is not tripping—Carpenter is constantly running up and down stairs.
    Lucy Feldman, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
Definition of tripping
Verb
  • The poll found support was slipping for an initiative that would increase California’s minimum wage.
    Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Oct. 2024
  • With so much uncertainty, brands are slipping through the cracks and effectively skirting regulation altogether, Leas says.
    Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of slipping
Adjective
  • China's East Asian neighbors are also grappling with similar problems, characterized by rapidly aging populations and younger generations increasingly hesitant to have families.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • But a pill could help with current supply constraints and open the market to patients hesitant to taking injections.
    Bruce Gil, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of hesitant
Adjective
  • The Democratic Party has been engulfed in conversations over the past two weeks over whether Biden is the best candidate to beat former President Trump following his halting debate performance on June 27.
    Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 9 July 2024
  • Two weeks before the Butler attempt on Trump’s life, President Joe Biden had triggered a crisis in the Democratic Party with his halting debate performance.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024
Definition of halting
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.

Phrases Containing stumbling

Thesaurus Entries Near stumbling

stumble (upon)

stumbling

stumbling block

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Cite this Entry

“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stumbling

Nglish: Translation of stumbling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of stumbling for Arabic Speakers

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