stumble
verb (used without object)
to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip.
stumbled
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past participleof stumble.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof stumble.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
stumbleverb (used without object)to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He stumbled out of bed in his underwear and down the hall to his darkened living room.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was hours before he stumbled onto a fire hydrant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Stocks stumbled out of the gate after Labor Day, with a jittery tone gripping markets as the typically weak month of September began in earnest after the holiday.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
That all makes a whole lot of sense when you remember that Netflix stumbled into the moviemaking business by nature of trying to revolutionize the movie-renting business.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
I stumbled against the potato plants, dry now, stiff, crumbling underneath me.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
