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
John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Longtime collaborator Alex Lockett returns to direct the clip, an upstairs/downstairs concept which follows Antonoff on struggle street, stumbling into randoms and flapping about in the rain.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Amid this debate, there are clear tensions among Democrats about how to address the left's stumbles in the 2024 presidential election, when Democrats lost the White House, Senate and failed to retake the House.
—Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Verb
Shares stumbled last week on news about job openings in December hitting their lowest level in five years as investors tried to assess the health of the economy and figure out whether to cash in on pricey stocks.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Longtime collaborator Alex Lockett returns to direct the clip, an upstairs/downstairs concept which follows Antonoff on struggle street, stumbling into randoms and flapping about in the rain.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
City are so far clear of Chelsea that the eight-time champions cannot even stick a leg out in the hope of a stumble which might stop the kind of title procession that used to be their party piece.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Amid this debate, there are clear tensions among Democrats about how to address the left's stumbles in the 2024 presidential election, when Democrats lost the White House, Senate and failed to retake the House.
—Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
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The wait time can fall anywhere between six minutes and six hours.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner, as a powerhouse couple, that fall more in step with the likes of Hailey and Justin Bieber’s individual style statements than, say, Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet’s joint method dressing.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Engineers have struggled to close the reaction gap between human perception and machine processing without sacrificing accuracy.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
-
De Meo was recruited from the auto industry, and his experience included turning around the struggling automaker Renault at the start of the decade.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The race for Los Angeles mayor has been in an extraordinary state of flux, with the candidate lineup shuffling and reshuffling in the final days before the filing deadline.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Moore administration has chosen the opposite approach, doubling down on spending while shuffling money around in a game of three-card monte.—
J.B. Jennings,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The attempt to create a viable and vibrant residential hub arrives after years of neglect and fumbled strategies by the prior owner, an affiliate of real estate firm Z&L Properties.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Blue Demons’ guard panicked, fumbling the ball, and Fudd read her perfectly.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But making a mistake can mean you get hit with an inaccurate tax bill or, worse, an audit.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
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Trying to fix a mistake before someone finds out?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The action is punctuated by flash-frame collages that bring earlier and later observations together in a tumble of associations and hint at the drama’s mystical, phantasmagorical essence.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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Bitcoin jumped after a 50% tumble from its peak.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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French wine and spirits exports have slipped from being traditionally France’s second-largest export sector to third, behind aerospace and cosmetics, as trade tensions intensified.—
Reuters 9 hr ago,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Then, in the short track speedskating mixed team relay B final, Julie Letai suffered her own mishap, slipping and crashing into the padding.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The first trailer for this macho survival flick just stomped onto the internet last week with a gung-ho spirit and guns blazing.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Seattle Seahawks stomped a mud hole in the New England Patriots.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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