stumble across

Idioms and Phrases

Also, stumble on . Find by chance, discover or meet with unexpectedly. For example, When we were hiking up the mountain we stumbled across a few abandoned shepherd's huts , or At the flea market Alfred stumbled on a quite valuable old lithograph . This idiom uses stumble in the sense of “accidentally trip.” [Mid-1500s]

Example Sentences

The young guard appears to have had the misfortune to stumble across an undercover Israeli operation, during which he was shot and killed.

From BBC

Come May in Seattle, you can’t help but stumble across flowers bursting out of every yard.

From Seattle Times

In response to a comment, Robinson said he didn't stumble across the image.

From Salon

Occasionally, I stumble across food safety headlines that make me do a double-take because they are lauding a measure that seems like it should have been standardized long ago.

From Salon

In this sequence from the writer and director Alex Garland’s latest film, “Civil War,” about a modern-day conflict that has broken out in America, journalists making their way to Washington, D.C., stumble across a field set up with Christmas decorations.

From New York Times

Related Words

• arrive at
• catch
• reach
• seize
• take