1
as in fell
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily
the bride stumbled on the altar steps and landed smack in the arms of the minister
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in fumbled
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumbled
Naumov and Torgashev moved onto the podium after several other contenders stumbled Saturday.
—
Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
On New Year’s Eve, 1962, Weir stumbled upon Dana Morgan’s Music Store in Palo Alto, where Jerry Garcia taught guitar.
—Michelle Hyun Kim, Pitchfork, 10 Jan. 2026
Although the Chiefs stumbled to a 6-11 record, four of their games were included in that top five.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
The second man being confronted, Ferrer Velasquez, tried to flee but stumbled and fell, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Based ever so loosely on the true story of a British performer who stumbled into a new life as a club fixture, Cooper’s film is still about the ways that art and art-making can invigorate the soul and lay bare its dark truths.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The success of this season’s offense, if the team is no longer in acquisition mode, will hinge on whether those who struggled and stumbled last year can revert their courses.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
After finishing second in the Western Conference in 2021-22 (when Morant won Most Improved Player) and 2022-23, the Grizzlies stumbled to a 27-55 record in 2023-24, a season in which Morant only played nine games.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The Avs stumbled out of the starting blocks the past two seasons.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbled
Verb
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The at-bats were brief and uneventful, the opposite of the approach that carried Toronto to this stage and felled Snell in Game 1.—
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That says a lot about the 2025 Red Sox, who were a top offensive team in many metrics, but were also felled by their bats in crucial spots throughout the year and postseason.—
Verb
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When one of Adam Burkhammer's foster children struggled with hyperactivity, the West Virginia legislator and his wife decided to alter their diet and remove any foods that contained synthetic dyes.—
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Gilgeous-Alexander -- one of only two players in the NBA averaging 30-plus points (with the Lakers’ Luka Doncic) -- struggled against the Heat’s swarming defense early, shooting 1 for 7 in a three-point first quarter and going to the half with 11.—
Verb
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Empty boxes were stacked along a side wall in the locker room as players shuffled in and out to pack up a season’s worth of shirts and jerseys and cleats and memorabilia.—
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First, the sophomore shuffled back into coverage after showing A-gap pressure to intercept a Bryce Underwood pass over the middle of the field, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.—
Verb
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Ball security The Hurricanes have fumbled the ball four times in the past two games and lost two of them — one apiece by Malachi Toney (first round against Texas A&M) and Fletcher (quarterfinal against Ohio State).—
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Kennedy fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, the source of the noise.—
Verb
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Dellandrea was injured in the Sharks’ game on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets as his right leg struck the post after he was inadvertently tripped while driving to the net.—
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Our last game against Utah, that’s what tripped us up on the road.—
Verb
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
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The disarmingly handsome comic adopted the delivery of a smarmy newsman and deadpanned a joke about the hatching of a baby sandpiper, a triumph for the zoo where it was born, until the bird was stomped to death by a baby hippo born a day earlier.—
Verb
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Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.—
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Stevenson slipped tackles on his season-long 56-yard run and 20-yarder, bouncing off hits and running with power and vision not seen from him since September.—
Verb
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The trend is not shiny, glass mosaics, but rather tumbled stone in subtle, natural colors.—
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Memory storage plays — Data storage stocks tumbled as investors continued to cash in after their recent run-up.—
Cite this Entry
“Stumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbled. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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