1
as in trotting
to go at a pace faster than a walk
went tripping up the steps of city hall in their eagerness to get married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily
tripped over a chair and landed on her face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hopping
to move with a light springing step
dancers tripping lightly across the stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in traveling
to take a trip especially of some distance
while he was growing up, the family tripped to New England every summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in fumbling
to make a mistake
the press has had it in for the new governor, and they are just waiting for her to trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of tripping
After Dobes was penalized for tripping Yanni Gourde, Point took Jake Guentzel’s centering pass and ripped a shot past Dobes’ blocker from the high slot.
—
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Cellphone video shot by a bystander then showed the man tripping and falling on his face as officers aggressively detained him moments later.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Some 19 minutes into the match, the Rapids’ Josh Atencio was whistled for a tripping call in the Miami box that was so soft, a toddler could’ve slept on it.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Even if one model had a day to forget, smashing into pieces after tripping at the starting line, the record-setting winner is a sign of things to come.
—New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
LaMelo Ball should have been ejected for tripping Bam Adebayo last night, Heat coach says.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026
Haight was almost immediately whistled for tripping, but Minnesota’s penalty killers produced a 2-on-1 break and a two-goal lead when McCarron beat Hofer with a wrist shot after a set-up pass from Foligno.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Aspirot, who was playing Nikita Kucherov tight, was called for tripping the Tampa superstar.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
While tripping with the foot is not allowed, an ankle tap, which is performed with the hand, is considered a tackle and is permissible.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Cellphone video shot by a bystander then showed the man tripping and falling on his face as officers aggressively detained him moments later.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Some 19 minutes into the match, the Rapids’ Josh Atencio was whistled for a tripping call in the Miami box that was so soft, a toddler could’ve slept on it.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Even if one model had a day to forget, smashing into pieces after tripping at the starting line, the record-setting winner is a sign of things to come.
—New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
LaMelo Ball should have been ejected for tripping Bam Adebayo last night, Heat coach says.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026
Haight was almost immediately whistled for tripping, but Minnesota’s penalty killers produced a 2-on-1 break and a two-goal lead when McCarron beat Hofer with a wrist shot after a set-up pass from Foligno.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Aspirot, who was playing Nikita Kucherov tight, was called for tripping the Tampa superstar.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
While tripping with the foot is not allowed, an ankle tap, which is performed with the hand, is considered a tackle and is permissible.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tripping
Verb
-
The baby pudu — currently just a few inches tall — has already been seen trotting alongside her mother, Posey.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The baby pudu, just a few inches tall, has already been spotted trotting confidently alongside Posey, rarely straying far from her side.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The title track, with its glassy melody and woozy, almost stumbling groove, deploys wholesome, end-of-the-night, comedown energy not unlike Bicep’s most beloved tracks.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pack comfortable shoes and enjoy stumbling upon the secrets of the city.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These include operating without GPS, using frequency hopping to counter jamming, and enabling one operator to manage multiple drones.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Apr. 2026
-
However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the match, Chelsea captain Reece James made a point of pushing McFarlane towards the travelling support to receive his congratulations.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Roughly 55% of people traveling along the avenue are doing so on a bus, city data says.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Be ill-prepared for Christmas and face the danger of fumbling your most profitable time of the year.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Onyxia Delinois suffered severe brain injuries after a car struck her while jogging on Miramar Parkway near Southwest 184th Avenue on April 6, 2024, according to WTVJ.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The area where Delinois was jogging is heavily wooded with no cameras, businesses or homes in the immediate surroundings.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bishop Moore junior Lucas Magro went 2-1 in the individual singles bracket and took the top seed, William Freshwater of Barron Collier, to a tiebreaker before falling 1-6, 6-1, (10-3).—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But the Pistons were sloppy with the ball and careless overall in a 94-88 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night, falling behind 3-1 in their first-round Eastern Conference series.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Most phases of ice send the rays bouncing in just a couple different directions, since their crystal patterns repeat after a few molecules.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Alexander sees it differently, pointing instead to how any change would improve the chances of clubs relegated from the EFL bouncing straight back up.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tripping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tripping. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
