stumble

[ stuhm-buhl ]

/ ˈstʌm bəl /

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See synonyms for: stumble / stumbled / stumbling / stumbler on Thesaurus.com

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stumble

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

OTHER WORDS FROM stumble

stumbler, nounstum·bling·ly, adverbun·stum·bling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stumble in a sentence

The CDA was passed not in the name of censorship but in the name of protecting children from stumbling across sexual material.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the edited conversation below, Earley, 53, talks of Ernest Hemingway, technical challenges, and stumbling toward the light.
Tony Earley's Imaginary Friends|Mindy Farabee|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Slayman eased the young man—Matt, from Pennsylvania—out of the car and got him on his stumbling way.
A Report From the Misunderstood Gathering of the Juggalos|Steve Miller|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I carried the puppy up the hill, stumbling under the weight.
The Stacks: A Dog Dies, a Boy Grows Up|Pete Dexter|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

If I could sum it up in a few choice words, I would, but instead I hem and haw, before stumbling through some rambling rejoinder.
Fear And Self-Loathing In Scandinavia: The Fiction Of Karl Ove Knausgaard|Ted Gioia|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He walked about, stumbling over sticks and stones and stumps, sometimes falling down on soft moss, and again on the hard ground.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
The lowing of cattle and the soft stumbling tread of many unshod feet told him that some one was approaching.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
How I do wish sometimes to give Ritchie a jog, when there is some stumbling-block that he sticks fast at.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
This design reveals a stumbling-block that superficial people fall over.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
At this critical moment feet were heard clattering and stumbling up the stair as if in tremendous haste.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for stumble

stumble

/ (ˈstʌmbəl) /

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 forms of stumble

stumbler, 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

stumble

Origin of stumble

OTHER WORDS FROM stumble

Words related to stumble

How to use stumble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stumble

Derived forms of stumble

Word Origin for stumble