stumble

1 of 2

verb

stum·​ble ˈstəm-bəl How to pronounce stumble (audio)
stumbled; stumbling ˈstəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce stumble (audio)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1
: to cause to stumble : trip
2
stumbler noun
stumblingly adverb

stumble

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of stumbling

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
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
However, the Indian stock market has stumbled recently, with the BSE 500 shedding 19% from its recent peak last September—this after climbing 14.8% in 2024 and 25.1% in 2023. Garth Friesen, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 Those concerns came to a head during Biden's debate against now-President Donald Trump in June, when Biden sounded hoarse and appeared to stumble through several answers. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
Still, a recent stumble in January after DeepSeek unveiled lower-cost AI models wiped $593 billion from Nvidia's market cap — a record one-day market value loss that underscored the risks of the AI trade. Aditya Soni, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025 The latest chapter in this stumble toward mediocrity was one of the more predictable ones. Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stumble

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect stumle to stumble

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1547, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stumble was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Stumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stumble. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

stumble

verb
stum·​ble
ˈstəm-bəl
stumbled; stumbling
-b(ə-)liŋ
1
: to trip in walking or running
2
a
: to walk unsteadily
b
: to speak or act in a hesitant or clumsy manner
3
: to come or happen unexpectedly or by chance
stumbled onto the ruins of an old fort
stumble noun
stumbler
-b(ə-)lər
noun
stumblingly
-b(ə-)liŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on stumble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!