stumble

[stuhm-buh l]

verb (used without object), stum·bled, stum·bling.

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

to walk or go unsteadily: to stumble down a dark passage.

to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one: to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace.

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

to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, or across): They stumbled on a little village.

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

verb (used with object), stum·bled, stum·bling.

to cause to stumble; trip.

to give pause to; puzzle or perplex.

noun

the act of stumbling.

a moral lapse or error.

a slip or blunder.

Origin of stumble

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

Related formsstum·bler, nounstum·bling·ly, adverbun·stum·bling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stumbles

bumble, shuffle, hesitate, wobble, limp, swing, lurch, flounder, lumber, waver, fall, falter, careen, bump, tumble, totter, topple, err, tilt, stammer

Examples from the Web for stumbles

Contemporary Examples of stumbles

Before we get off the phone, Kent stumbles and stammers until finding her footing in a heartwarming anecdote.
‘The Babadook’ Is the Best (and Most Sincere) Horror Movie of the Year
Samuel Fragoso
November 30, 2014
One day, he stumbles across a mysterious orb whose very existence threatens the future of the universe.
The Next Han Solo: Chris Pratt on His Star-Making Turn in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
Marlow Stern
July 22, 2014
She stumbles over to the bathroom and points to the bathtub.
‘My Granny The Escort’: Meet 85-Year-Old Sheila Vogel-Coupe, Britain’s Oldest Prostitute
Marlow Stern
June 3, 2014
Carlos Sanchez stumbles in with his buddy, Pablo, singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
How to Be Popular, ’50s Style: ‘Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek’
Maya Van Wagenen
April 17, 2014
Cohle seems to have blind luck behind him as he stumbles into one obvious clue after another.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’
Jimmy So
March 14, 2014

Historical Examples of stumbles

He caught up with her in a moment, in spite of some stumbles over the rough road.
Keziah Coffin
Joseph C. Lincoln
The mate comes up, his arm strapped to his side, and stumbles into the cradle.
With The Night Mail
Rudyard Kipling
Then you've room to pull her if she stumbles; which, by the way, isn't likely.
Nell, of Shorne Mills
Charles Garvice
Her sensation was like that of one who, hunting a hare, stumbles upon a wolf.
Two Days' Solitary Imprisonment
Edward Bellamy
My wife's horse sets one of his forefeet on a loose stone, and stumbles.
The Lock And Key Library
Various

British Dictionary definitions for stumbles

stumble

verb (intr)

to trip or fall while walking or running

to walk in an awkward, unsteady, or unsure way

to make mistakes or hesitate in speech or actions

(foll by across or upon) to come (across) by accident

to commit a grave mistake or sin

noun

a false step, trip, or blunder

the act of stumbling

Derived Formsstumbler, nounstumbling, adjectivestumblingly, adverb

Word Origin for stumble

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stumbles

stumble

c.1300, "to trip or miss one's footing" (physically or morally), probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. dialectal Norwegian stumla, Swedish stambla "to stumble"), probably from a variant of the Proto-Germanic base *stam-, source of Old English stamerian "to stammer," German stumm "dumb, silent." Possibly influenced in form by stumpen "to stumble," but the -b- may be purely euphonious. Meaning "to come (upon) by chance" is attested from 1550s. Stumbling-block first recorded 1526, used in Rom. xiv:13 to translate Greek skandalon.