stumble

[ stuhm-buhl ]
See synonyms for: stumblestumbledstumblingstumbler on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

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

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

  4. 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.

  1. a slip or blunder.

Origin of stumble

1
1275–1325; Middle English stumblen; cognate with Norwegian stumla to grope and stumble in the dark; akin to stammer

Other words from stumble

  • stumbler, noun
  • stum·bling·ly, adverb
  • un·stum·bling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stumble in a sentence

  • 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.

  • 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)
  1. to trip or fall while walking or running

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

  1. to make mistakes or hesitate in speech or actions

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

  3. to commit a grave mistake or sin

noun
  1. a false step, trip, or blunder

  2. the act of stumbling

Origin of stumble

1
C14: related to Norwegian stumla, Danish dialect stumle; see stammer

Derived forms of stumble

  • stumbler, noun
  • stumbling, adjective
  • stumblingly, adverb

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