1
as in to fall
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 to struggle
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shuffle
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 to fumble
to make a mistake
that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
was his hurtful remark a regrettable stumble, or was it made with artful intention?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stumble
Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 23 Jan. 2025
Remnants of this cultural exchange remain outside the city, and in the spring of 2024, two metal detectorists from Jutland and Sweden stumbled upon pieces of the past, the ROMU museum organization announced Jan. 16 in a news release.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
The seeds for the company’s latest stumbles were planted years ago, as Intel missed out on mobile chips to Qualcomm, ARM and Apple.
—Ari Levy,kif Leswing, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stumble 
Verb
During his Inauguration performance, Billy Ray seemed to stumble through his performance with major technical difficulties.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 23 Jan. 2025
Remnants of this cultural exchange remain outside the city, and in the spring of 2024, two metal detectorists from Jutland and Sweden stumbled upon pieces of the past, the ROMU museum organization announced Jan. 16 in a news release.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
For the Knicks, this loss was more than just a stumble against the West’s best.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
The seeds for the company’s latest stumbles were planted years ago, as Intel missed out on mobile chips to Qualcomm, ARM and Apple.
—Ari Levy,kif Leswing, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumble
Verb
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Brian Sunshine via Reuters In eastern North Carolina, drifting snow was expected with near-blizzard conditions in the state's Outer Banks, where up to 8 inches could fall.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2025
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However, as so often is the case, this reaffirmed American ideal fell short of reality.—
AJ Willingham,
CNN,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Kansas City’s defense has struggled to stop quarterback runs.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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The group also struggled to find its place in the broader far-right ecosystem, with some chapters cozying up to even more extreme factions like neo-Nazis as others sought legitimacy by seeking alliances with conservative influencers.—
Tess Owen,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Rihanna was shuffled out through a restricted exit by deputies, and Rocky left separately through the main courthouse doors.—
Andrew Dalton,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2025
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Some 1,600 years ago, perhaps soldiers on the easternmost edge of the empire shuffled the slim bone tokens across a board, attempting to outwit their opponents.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Now, contrast that to the recent experience of Ravens tight end Mark Andrews who, as every devoted local football fan will recall, both fumbled and dropped a crucial two-point conversion pass in a must-win playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.—
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Jan. 2025
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Like Fuhrman, many were nervous about teachers fumbling over technology and classmates not paying attention.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Here are five wellness mistakes companies must unlearn to build a stronger workforce in 2025.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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That portrays the Court as an institution that has made historic mistakes on citizenship and need not be trusted as the sole authority on the meaning of the Constitution.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
The New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Marshall Wace, one of London’s largest hedge funds, saw its earnings tumble by almost two-thirds last year.—
Robert Olsen,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
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What a pathetic way for that portion of my career to end, with a sad little slow-motion tumble in the 64th minute of a miserable 3-2 defeat by Romania.—
Alan Shearer,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The 10-year slipped from a high near 4.8% back to 4.6% over a few days.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2025
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In the quarter, Apple slipped to third place — with about a sixth of the market, according to a Counterpoint research featured by Bloomberg.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Now, a group of penguins in Australia are stomping all over their love-bird reputation through cheating scandals and divorce — and wildlife experts are worried.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2025
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The Ravens stomped the visiting Bills, 35-10, in Week 4.—
Jeff Howe,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near stumble
Cite this Entry
“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumble. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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