stumble 1 of 2

verb

ˈstəm-bəl How to pronounce stumble (audio)
Definition of stumblenext
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

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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"

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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

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stumble

2 of 2

noun

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
2
as in fall
the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily has bones so brittle that a minor stumble could result in a serious break

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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 stumble
Verb
An irresolvable knot of wickedness who acts on impulse and has seemingly no capacity for empathy, Cathy stumbles into the heart of the Trask family’s jealousy and ambition. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 Colorado stumbled out of its Big 12 opener with a 23-13 loss to Baylor, dropping Coach Prime's Buffaloes to 2-2 and looking like (potentially) the worst team in the conference. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
The Denver Broncos have too many things to correct from their opening-week stumble to concern themselves with exacting any sort of revenge for their blowout loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars last December. — Arnie Stapleton, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Sep. 2026 Alvarado stumbles, Kennedale climbs Alvarado has been a dominant Class 4A power in recent years. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
  1. fall
  2. struggle
  3. shuffle
  4. fumble
  5. mistake
  6. tumble
  7. slip
  8. stomp
Verb
  • On the price front, China's residential prices have already fallen by 22% since a 2021 peak, compared with a 67% drop in Japan's after a far greater run-up in prices, the S&P report said.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Insider buying fell 18% to 1,290 buyers, down from 1,580 in the second quarter.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • At that time, the company’s Fisher-Price, Barbie and American Girl brands were struggling to connect with changing consumer tastes and Mattel was reeling from the recent bankruptcy of Toys R Us.
    — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • But, like many Universities, Drexel has been struggling financially, in part due to declining enrollment.
    — Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.
    — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In the midst of the rush to finish my syllabi and opening week assignments, as my husband shuffled the kids into their sneakers and Crocs and the car for one last back-to-school outing, everything stopped.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffle
Verb
  • The Cougars were stopped at the UCF 3 on consecutive drives before Overmyer fumbled at the UCF 7 and into the end zone, recovered by the Knights.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • On Friday, the Rams waived punt returner Xavier Smith, who fumbled in last season’s NFC championship game and made several decision-making errors against the Broncos.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumble
Noun
  • But elevating the whims of progressive activists and government bureaucrats above the wisdom of the marketplace has proven a costly mistake and undermined consumer choice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Guys will make a mistake that will lead to busted assignments, penalties, big plays for the opponents, if not a touchdown.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of mistake
Noun
  • George Santos took quite a few tumbles during his two-episode stint on the Fox reality show, but one — much to his chagrin — didn’t make it to air.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Down and feather pillows can generally be tumble-dried on low or no-heat, whereas memory foam should be air-dried.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of tumble
Verb
  • When OpenAI went from o1-preview to o1, its score on a competition math exam rose roughly 30 points, while its score on a broad general-knowledge test (Massive Multitask Language Understanding, or MMLU) slipped a point and a half.
    — Dhyey Mavani, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • His National Film Board of Canada film goes beyond numbers to humanize the Iranian-Canadian victims of Flight PS752 who have long slipped from news headlines, even as their families continue an uphill battle to hold Iran accountable.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of slip
Verb
  • The answer isn’t between stomping the gas pedal or leaving the car parked.
    — Bob Ackerman, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Handclaps, stomping percussion and a communal chorus create the kind of infectious energy that naturally gets people moving.
    — qygwork, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomp

Phrases Containing stumble

Browse Nearby Words

stuffy
stumble
stumblebum
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Cite this Entry

“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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