stumble

[ stuhm-buhl ]
See synonyms for stumble 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

  • Stumblingly he struggled towards the companion-way, where he saw a dark moving object.

    The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
  • As he alighted, stumblingly, Maku caught him by the other arm.

    The Girl and The Bill | Bannister Merwin
  • Stumblingly, humbly he told her, and she listened, nestling in his arms as one who has found her own place.

    The Boss of Wind River | David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
  • That effort confined to the county in which Cheslow and the Red Mill were located had begun early; but it had gone stumblingly.

  • He reeled and clutched at the tent-flap, then stumblingly made his way out.

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