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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of stumble
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Last year, a Florida man stumbled upon a shipwreck believed to date back 150 years.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Despite the stumble, Horan was clearly savoring every second.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
In the final cut, Mabel accidentally stumbles upon research being done by her biology professor (Kathy Najimy), discovers the technology, and hijacks a robot beaver.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Last year, a Florida man stumbled upon a shipwreck believed to date back 150 years.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
That makes the first-quarter stumble particularly notable.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Despite the stumble, Horan was clearly savoring every second.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
His portfolio fell 44% in the dot-com crash, and sustained a 40% loss in 2008.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lee then came up to the plate and fell behind in the count 1-2.—
Tony Gleason,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 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
-
Redick has had to shuffle the roster pieces around since, using the final five games of the regular season to assess his rotation options without Doncic and Reaves, who also missed 19 straight games from Christmas until February with a strained calf.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
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Parkinson’s stem cell trial is underway at UM At the University of Miami, neurologists are testing AI’s capabilities to shuffle through patient data to spot patterns that can help predict which patients may experience rapid decline.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But there’s a risk the Commission will fumble.—
Parmy Olson,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unfortunately, admitting mistakes doesn’t come easily for many people.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
To avoid this big mistake, figure out in advance exactly how deep the hole should be, and be careful not to dig any deeper.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gold prices could drop to $4,000 per ounce There's a chance the gold prices take a tumble again, especially given their most recent uptick.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Recall that a flagellar motor switches directions, causing the bacterium to tumble, when environmental conditions seem to be getting worse.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 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
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Dedicating that much shelf space to the New York Yankees, as your organization gets stomped into the ground by them, at home?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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