stumble across

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

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

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

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"It's scary to think that there are places where this dangerous material is just being dumped and members of the public aren't aware aware of it, that anybody could just stumble across."

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Ofcom, which estimates about 14 million people watch online pornography in the UK, says tougher age checks will make it harder for children to stumble across harmful material online.

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Once Ellie and Dina stumble across a cluster of massacred men, women and children in a Washington state forest, the righteousness of their mission grows clearer.

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Related Words

• arrive at 
• catch 
• reach 
• seize 
• take