stumble across

Idioms  

1. Also, stumble on. Find by chance, discover or meet with unexpectedly. For example, When we were hiking up the mountain we stumbled across a few abandoned shepherd's huts, or At the flea market Alfred stumbled on a quite valuable old lithograph. This idiom uses stumble in the sense of “accidentally trip.” [Mid-1500s]

---

Example Sentences

If you're worried a relative might stumble across the item they'd bought you while they bargain hunt you can always donate to a charity shop outside of your local area.

From BBC

They could understand why this very bright guy rooting around in financial statements might stumble across a small company no one else was paying attention to.

From Literature

Google said it also built a new feature, called Lens built with Gemini, where people can use the AI assistant by clicking on the camera icon when they stumble across an unfamiliar place on a map.

From Los Angeles Times

"And if you can stumble across a photo that represents the music and the lyrics, it's really romantic and amazing."

From BBC

Spend enough time scrolling online, and you’re bound to stumble across a photo of a mega-rest stop in Breezewood, Pennsylvania.

From Salon

Related Words

• arrive at
• catch
• reach
• seize
• take