stumble

American  

[stuhm-buhl] / ˈstʌm bəl /

verb (used without object)

stumbled, stumbling

1. to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip.

2. to walk or go unsteadily.

   to stumble down a dark passage.

3. to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one.

   to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace.

4. to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech (often followed byalong ).

5. to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, oracross ).

   They stumbled on a little village.

6. to falter or hesitate, as at an obstacle to progress or belief.

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verb (used with object)

stumbled, stumbling

1. to cause to stumble; trip.

2. to give pause to; puzzle or perplex.

noun

1. the act of stumbling.

2. a moral lapse or error.

3. a slip or blunder.

stumble British  

/ ˈstʌmbəl /

verb

1. to trip or fall while walking or running

2. to walk in an awkward, unsteady, or unsure way

3. to make mistakes or hesitate in speech or actions

4. to come (across) by accident

5. to commit a grave mistake or sin

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noun

1. a false step, trip, or blunder

2. the act of stumbling

Other Word Forms

• stumbler
  noun
• stumbling
  adjective
• stumblingly
  adverb
• unstumbling
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

If these companies stumble, it could make it more difficult for the benchmark large-cap index to keep moving higher.

From MarketWatch • May 3, 2026

It’s the nature of a changing audience that is now more likely to stumble upon comedians they haven’t seen before through short social media clips, rather than an impromptu night at a comedy club.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

The stumble comes as Blue Origin works to ramp up flights with New Glenn to address a backlog of flights, and better challenge SpaceX’s command position in the launch market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

The Masters looks set to deliver an enthralling conclusion after a third-round stumble by defending champion Rory McIlroy opened the door to a star-studded chasing pack at Augusta National.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

I stumble over Andre’s shoes as I step into the dark entryway.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• bumble
• careen
• fall
• fall down
• falter
• flounder
• hesitate
• limp
• lumber
• lurch
• shuffle
• swing
• waver
• wobble