stumble

[stuhm-buhl]

verb (used without object)

stumbled, stumbling 

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.

3. to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one.

   to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace.

4. to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech (often followed byalong ).

5. to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, oracross ).

   They stumbled on a little village.

6. to falter or hesitate, as at an obstacle to progress or belief.

verb (used with object)

stumbled, stumbling 

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.

3. a slip or blunder.

stumble

/ ˈstʌmbəl /

verb

1. to trip or fall while walking or running

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

3. to make mistakes or hesitate in speech or actions

4. to come (across) by accident

5. to commit a grave mistake or sin

noun

1. a false step, trip, or blunder

2. the act of stumbling

Other Word Forms

• stumbler noun
• stumblingly adverb
• stumbling adjective
• unstumbling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stumble¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stumble¹

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

Example Sentences

While Roman stumbles through life without Rocky, Dennis dreads the realization that his lies may undo everything.

From Los Angeles Times

Who knows, you could stumble into a 2015 romantic comedy and find that your new best friend is the only other person in the theater, laughing at all of the same jokes.

From Salon

There’s a scene in the movie, taken from real life, where Springsteen is flipping through the channels one night and stumbles upon Terrence Malick’s “Badlands,” a movie that ultimately influences “Nebraska.”

From Los Angeles Times

They were equals and equally at home with his style, and the movement put the moving on, the “drifting like a leaf,” “feeling like a shadow,” stumbling “like a blind man,” in revealing relief.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead of catapulting themselves into exceedingly soft portions of their schedules, both teams stumbled to equally disappointing results.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bumble 
• careen 
• fall 
• fall down 
• falter 
• flounder 
• hesitate 
• limp 
• lumber 
• lurch 
• shuffle 
• swing 
• waver 
• wobble