stumbled; stumbling
ˈstəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to fall into sin or waywardness
b
: to make an error : blunder
c
: to come to an obstacle to belief
2
: to trip in walking or running
3
a
: to walk unsteadily or clumsily
b
: to speak or act in a hesitant or faltering manner
4
a
: to come unexpectedly or by chance
stumble onto the truth
b
: to fall or move carelessly
Examples of stumble in a Sentence
Verb
I stumbled on the uneven pavement.
The horse stumbled and almost fell.
He stumbled drunkenly across the room.
He stumbled over to the table.
I heard him stumble over the unfamiliar words.
She stumbled through an apology.
The economy has stumbled in recent months.
Noun
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
has bones so brittle that a minor stumble could result in a serious break
Recent Examples on the Web
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Russ Wiles, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
Read: How Bridget Jones’s Diary predicted the age of oversharing
Her trajectory over the next decade-plus (in another round of newspaper columns; another book; and a third movie, Bridget Jones’s Baby, in 2016, not based on a book) certainly had its requisite stumbles.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Woman Makes 'Creepy' Find In Thrift Store By Alice Gibbs
Senior Life and Trends Reporter
Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member
news article
0
A thrift store shopper from Scotland stumbled on something unexpected in her local store when a beautiful glass paperweight caught her eye.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
But the recent stock-market stumble, spearheaded by Tesla and other tech giants, serves as a wake-up call that building a balanced investment portfolio should be taken seriously, and revisited at least once a year, if not sooner.
—Russ Wiles, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
Read: How Bridget Jones’s Diary predicted the age of oversharing
Her trajectory over the next decade-plus (in another round of newspaper columns; another book; and a third movie, Bridget Jones’s Baby, in 2016, not based on a book) certainly had its requisite stumbles.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stumble
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stumble. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share