stumble

[ stuhm-buhl ]

verb (used without object)

, stum·bled, stum·bling.

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

   They stumbled on a little village.

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

verb (used with object)

, stum·bled, stum·bling.

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

/ 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. foll byacross or upon to come (across) by accident
5. to commit a grave mistake or sin

noun

1. a false step, trip, or blunder
2. the act of stumbling

Derived Forms

• ˈstumbling, adjective
• ˈstumblingly, adverb
• ˈstumbler, noun

Other Words From

• stumbler noun
• stumbling·ly adverb
• un·stumbling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stumble¹

1275–1325; Middle English stumblen; cognate with Norwegian stumla to grope and stumble in the dark; akin to stammer

Word History and Origins

Origin of stumble¹

C14: related to Norwegian stumla, Danish dialect stumle; see stammer

Example Sentences

The closest thing Rutgers has to a bad loss is a stumble at Michigan State.

From Washington Post

The metrics love Illinois, but it is a 9-5 team with a few stumbles at home.

From Washington Post

Leaders in California and elsewhere have made similar stumbles.

From Vox

Naturally, Big Tech’s retrenchment has heightened the debate over whether its leaders are vastly overpriced and long overdue for a steep slide, or simply suffering a temporary stumble.

From Fortune

Jesse Marx and Lisa Halverstadt broke the news of Thompson’s departure and reviewed the list of stumbles that led to it.

From Voice of San Diego

At 5:00 a.m. the clubs get going properly; the Forbes stumble down from their loggias, grinning and swaying tipsily.

From The Daily Beast

A party that cannot make these decisions openly and confidently will stumble in 2016.

From The Daily Beast

Meanwhile, the labor unions and liberal groups that nominally backed Cuomo could not be more thrilled to see him stumble.

From The Daily Beast

I stumble through interviews for my job at NY1, memories flooding back.

From The Daily Beast

At the end of the fourth season premiere, Arya and The Hound stumble upon a tavern in the woods.

From The Daily Beast

You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.

From Project Gutenberg

And very many of them shall stumble and fall, and shall be broken in pieces, and shall be snared, and taken.

From Project Gutenberg

And he shall turn his face to the empire of his own land, and he shall stumble, and fall, ans shall not be found.

From Project Gutenberg

I feel feverish: my feet drag heavily, and I stumble against the railing.

From Project Gutenberg

These four years through which I may—must stumble along with my hands tied, are a fair example.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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