as in finds
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
stumbled on some old family photos when she was cleaning out a drawer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbles (on or onto)
Verb
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In a situation where a company finds substantiated evidence of either type of violation carried out by an indirect supplier, they are mandated to perform an ad hoc risk assessment of that body, too.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Feb. 2026 -
Hearts are on course to upend the Old Firm duopoly that has held since 1985 — leading Celtic and Rangers by six points with 14 games remaining — and Wilson finds himself behind Pierre Kabore, Elton Kabangu, Claudio Braga and new signing Rogers Mato in the pecking order.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yet despite their impressive size, encounters with these enigmas remain exceedingly rare due to the myriad of challenges of studying deep-sea sharks.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Lurker, written and directed by Alex Russell (Beef, The Bear), is a psychological thriller that follows an introverted 20-something retail clerk, Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), who encounters Oliver (Archie Madekwe), a popular and charismatic musician.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stumbles (on or onto).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbles%20%28on%20or%20onto%29. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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