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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Madrid stumbled, in one of the most disappointing and disruptive periods in recent memory.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also shrugged off some of the early stumbles, arguing that Musk and DOGE are committed to quickly correcting mistakes.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
The Rossoneri stumbled to an eighth-place finish in Serie A and lost the Coppa Italia Final to Bologna – a defeat analysed in this previous column – as coaches Paulo Fonseca and Sérgio Conceição both failed to make a positive impact.
—Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Madrid stumbled, in one of the most disappointing and disruptive periods in recent memory.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
Australia's Min Woo Lee recovered from a late stumble, making clutch pars on Nos. 17 and 18 to win the Houston Open for his first career PGA Tour win.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also shrugged off some of the early stumbles, arguing that Musk and DOGE are committed to quickly correcting mistakes.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
-
Heavy rain is falling across the Kansas City area, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for parts of the metro.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
-
Disproportionate burden of care Traditionally, child care and household duties fall squarely on mothers.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
Command and control continue to haunt Cleveland Guardians right-hander, Triston McKenzie. McKenzie, 27, struggled mightily in his brief appearances with the Guardians this season.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
-
Both ended up struggling to hold their country together, let alone effect the changes that their activist supporters had hoped to see.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
The team then trained three seals–Nick, Luca, and Miro–to shuffle into place in front of a large screen and showed them the simulations.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
-
The next generation's most exciting opportunities won't be found in shuffling digital information but in reimagining the physical world.—
Richard Lebovitz,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Massey ranged to his left, lost his footing and fumbled the ball.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
20 May 2025
-
Gutierrez found the jury was confused by antitrust law elements and fumbled a calculation for damages by mistaking an overcharge with a discount.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Choosing smoothies low in protein and fiber, adding sugary ingredients to your smoothie, and using low-calorie smoothies as meal replacements are just some of the smoothie mistakes that could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
3 June 2025
-
Brian Fuhrer stared at the numbers in front of him and was certain somebody had made a mistake.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Still in a slow tumble, the ship started shedding scorched chunks of its skin before the screen went black.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2025
-
There’s a tumble of XXL petals on the facade of this nine-level, 40,000-square-foot building, which since November has been home to 180 employees, including an eight-strong prototyping team.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The defense did slip slightly last year — from first to 13th in adjusted efficiency — and that’s in part because Iowa State wasn’t as physical and deep up front.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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Based on my firm's analysis, in April 2025, traditional indices moved in different directions: The Dow Jones declined by 3.28% and the S&P 500 slipped 1.10%, while the Nasdaq gained 0.90%.—
Arthur Mouratov,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Verb
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In a world where we’re constantly reminded that physical media is dead — that the future is just algorithms stomping our faces, forever — the fact that the Criterion Closet has gone viral suggests that all is not lost.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 May 2025
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No one could agree on whether the brawl of as many as nine young men was limited to fists or if its participants were also kicking and stomping.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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