1
as in falls
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggles
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 shuffles
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 fumbles
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in mistakes
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stumbles
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
28 June 2026
The conversation stumbles on for a few moments, but Crook can’t find the words.
—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
In this 1994 movie, sweet but dimwitted Forrest stumbles through some of the most important historical events of the second half of the 20th century, and winds up addressing a crowd of thousands at an anti-Vietnam War protest on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
—
Jennie Yabroff,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
After a rocky start, Joey stumbles on some talents and goes to great lengths to impress Leonard in his audition for a play.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.
—
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Bargatze stars as Nate Wilcox, a successful salesman who stumbles into a chaotic life as a stay-at-home dad to three daughters after his wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), lands a life-changing deal on Shark Tank to put her household invention into play.
—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Set during the summer of 1975, Sessa stars as a 19-year-old Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen.
—
Marc Malkin,
Variety,
15 May 2026
After an embarrassing encounter — Wells, working as a janitor, stumbles upon Graham naked in the locker room — the two make an arrangement.
—
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Stan Choe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
But the recent stumbles for SpaceX’s stock and for AI stocks broadly may be a signal of less appetite for big AI stocks among investors.
—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
The bravado that Canada is showing after those early stumbles against Bosnia is the kind of attitude that teams need in the World Cup.
—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
But the history of VTOL aircraft is littered with costly stumbles.
—
Omar Kardoudi
june 21,
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Chiron enters your 3rd House of Communication, encouraging conversations that turn past stumbles into shared understanding.
—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2026
Even if a few stumbles and missteps are an inevitable part of practicing this kind of communication, developing deep connections is too important not to try.
—
Jessica Dulong,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Martin Scorsese is unquestionably one of the greatest ever to go behind a camera, yet the series reveals dramatic stumbles on his route to the top.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
But the Senate Democratic Caucus isn’t united behind him, and his series of stumbles has some in the party contending that Collins’ defeat is no longer a prerequisite to winning the majority.
—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
In it, the man stumbles around, blinded by the sun, surrounded by insensible tourists.
—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
28 June 2026
The conversation stumbles on for a few moments, but Crook can’t find the words.
—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
In this 1994 movie, sweet but dimwitted Forrest stumbles through some of the most important historical events of the second half of the 20th century, and winds up addressing a crowd of thousands at an anti-Vietnam War protest on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
—
Jennie Yabroff,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
After a rocky start, Joey stumbles on some talents and goes to great lengths to impress Leonard in his audition for a play.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.
—
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Bargatze stars as Nate Wilcox, a successful salesman who stumbles into a chaotic life as a stay-at-home dad to three daughters after his wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), lands a life-changing deal on Shark Tank to put her household invention into play.
—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Set during the summer of 1975, Sessa stars as a 19-year-old Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen.
—
Marc Malkin,
Variety,
15 May 2026
After an embarrassing encounter — Wells, working as a janitor, stumbles upon Graham naked in the locker room — the two make an arrangement.
—
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
But the recent stumbles for SpaceX’s stock and for AI stocks broadly may be a signal of less appetite for big AI stocks among investors.
—
Stan Choe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
But the recent stumbles for SpaceX’s stock and for AI stocks broadly may be a signal of less appetite for big AI stocks among investors.
—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
The bravado that Canada is showing after those early stumbles against Bosnia is the kind of attitude that teams need in the World Cup.
—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
But the history of VTOL aircraft is littered with costly stumbles.
—
Omar Kardoudi
june 21,
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Chiron enters your 3rd House of Communication, encouraging conversations that turn past stumbles into shared understanding.
—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2026
Even if a few stumbles and missteps are an inevitable part of practicing this kind of communication, developing deep connections is too important not to try.
—
Jessica Dulong,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Martin Scorsese is unquestionably one of the greatest ever to go behind a camera, yet the series reveals dramatic stumbles on his route to the top.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
But the Senate Democratic Caucus isn’t united behind him, and his series of stumbles has some in the party contending that Collins’ defeat is no longer a prerequisite to winning the majority.
—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles
Verb
-
Men leaders can pay attention to and be mindful of who in the workplace may be playing more of an emotional support role that falls outside their job description.
-
Royal Week falls ahead of Prince Harry's upcoming trip to the United Kingdom.
Verb
-
During contests, their stomachs stretch, heart rates rise, and digestion struggles to keep up, causing intense physical stress.
-
Her 12-year-old son, Whitman, has autism and a neurological disorder called apraxia, in which the brain struggles to tell muscles how to move to form words or perform other motor skills.
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.
Verb
-
Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.
-
The movie fumbles the chance to do something arresting with this seminal period in art.
Noun
-
Acknowledging and even criticizing our mistakes of the past doesn’t cheapen one’s love for the United States.
-
You are allowed to make three mistakes but fail a fourth time and the game ends with the answers being revealed.
Noun
-
This highly competent, obsessive duo tumbles into a self-destructive cat-and-mouse dynamic — but who’s the cat and who’s the mouse?
-
Topline OpenAI is now leaning toward delaying its public debut from later this year to next year, unnamed sources told The New York Times, as Elon Musk’s SpaceX stock tumbles after its record IPO and the public tech market slumps more broadly.
Verb
-
Early on in the clip, Jake Johnson’s former tennis star Dusty Boyd trips over the net and injures his wrist in a bad way.
-
Longer trips sail to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
Verb
-
Enola dutifully trudges between clues and possibilities, shuffling through crime scenes and racing around shady spaces, all of this much more paint-by-numbers than connect-the-dots.
-
However, even as the team trudges to a play-in spot rather than a top seed, Green was adamant that the Warriors’ standard of competitiveness cannot change.
Cite this Entry
“Stumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbles. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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