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]

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Example Sentences

But on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, users were likelier to stumble across news while doing something else.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Outsiders would sometimes stumble across the Rocket Lab community and be swept up in its orbit.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026

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

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2025

“I often fantasized that one day my dad would stumble across my face on a magazine cover and be overcome with regret for not getting to know such a wonderful girl,” writes Ione Skye.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

Then I stand back up, lean left, right, backward, and then wobble and stumble across home.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

Related Words

• arrive at
• catch
• reach
• seize
• take