as in encountered
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
stumbled upon an old acquaintance at the airport
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled (upon)
Verb
-
The city’s own data shows that last year, only about 3% of people encountered during encampment sweeps accepted a shelter bed for even a single night, and not one was connected to permanent housing.—
Jeffrey Ginsburg,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026 -
The first units on scene encountered heavy fire conditions and flames coming through the roof, fire officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The transitional committee, made up of Palestinian administrators, has met in Egypt but has not yet entered Gaza.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The scope of its ambition is met, at every turn, by deft control over what is witnessed, and how.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stumbled (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbled%20%28upon%29. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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