stumble
Americanverb (used without object)
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stumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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stumbled,
past participle, past
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stumbling
present participle
-
to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip.
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to walk or go unsteadily.
to stumble down a dark passage.
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to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one.
to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace.
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to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech (often followed byalong ).
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to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, oracross ).
They stumbled on a little village.
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to falter or hesitate, as at an obstacle to progress or belief.
verb (used with object)
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stumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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stumbled,
past participle, past
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stumbling
present participle
-
to cause to stumble; trip.
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to give pause to; puzzle or perplex.
noun
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stumbles
plural
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the act of stumbling.
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a moral lapse or error.
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a slip or blunder.
verb
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to trip or fall while walking or running
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to walk in an awkward, unsteady, or unsure way
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to make mistakes or hesitate in speech or actions
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to come (across) by accident
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to commit a grave mistake or sin
noun
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a false step, trip, or blunder
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the act of stumbling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stumblesimple
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stumblessimple
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have stumbledperfect
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has stumbledperfect
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am stumblingprogressive
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are stumblingprogressive
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is stumblingprogressive
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have been stumblingperfect progressive
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has been stumblingperfect progressive
Past
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stumbledsimple
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had stumbledperfect
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was stumblingprogressive
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were stumblingprogressive
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had been stumblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stumble
1275–1325; Middle English stumblen; cognate with Norwegian stumla to grope and stumble in the dark; akin to stammer
Explanation
To stumble means to nearly fall by tripping or missing a step. When you walk over uneven cobblestones, it’s easy to stumble, so please be careful. While stumble often means to nearly fall, it can also mean to make a misstep of a different kind. If you stumble over your words, you speak in a stuttering confused manner. Politicians make so many public decisions that they're bound to stumble — make a mistake — occasionally. When you stumble on rare mushrooms, i.e. come across them unexpectedly, be sure have the species verified before you eat them.
Vocabulary lists containing stumble
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Steve Jobs's Commencement Address (2005)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Talking about Wagyu, the prized Japanese beef, it’s easy to stumble into poetry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Visitors at Boulder Beach would stumble on human remains on three different occasions from July to August 2022 that authorities said all belonged to the same person, Claude Russell Pensinger, a Las Vegas resident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
“If someone is afraid they are going to lose something like their job, they are going to stumble over themselves.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The empty shelves are the latest stumble as Nike is attempting a turnaround under Chief Executive Elliott Hill, who rejoined the company nearly two years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
I stumble, flailing and trying to regain my balance before any part of me comes between the huge steel wheels and the track.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
This partly explains the race to buy pre-IPO stock—investors who access shares early can get in at a lower price, allowing for gains even if a stock stumbles post-IPO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
And if management stumbles out of the gate, shares trade at a discount to the S&P 500, which offers investors a floor.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
If it stumbles, Pulisic will get the blame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
They also noted that as its U.S. business stumbles, Lululemon has increasingly relied on China for growth.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
But then she stumbles backward, hand to her mouth, and lets out a scream.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
She and two friends were watching for the first time from packed grandstands, having stumbled onto the competition during a weekend reunion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Sivanandan first found chess during the 2020 lockdowns, but unlike the adults who were swept up that year through the mega-popular show “The Queen’s Gambit,” she stumbled into the game by accident.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They stumbled to a 5-1 loss and extended their skid to a season-high five games and ensure a second straight series loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Cardiff Rugby academy players stumbled on Christopher's bathtub while carrying out essential maintenance work on the mountain, and helped rangers retrieve it.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
I stumbled outside, glad to be free of them both, though my stomach crawled with fear of the unknown.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
"I was a party planner for over 10 years and ... I was very sustainably focused. The final stumbling block for me was the balloon waste," she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
One stumbling block: Rules that might once have offered guidance are gone, leaving individuals to puzzle out what’s appropriate for the workplace themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
After stumbling, the Nasdaq accelerated, with its gain in Bespoke’s indexed series reaching 592.5% in March 2000.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
With the Los Tropicanos backing band behind him, Iggy’s energy was transferred through the players who bolstered his catalog of Detroit-bred proto punk with tight precision and the right amount of stumbling sleaziness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
With a cry, he pitched forward into the water, stumbling to gain his balance.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
