stumble

American  

[stuhm-buhl] / ˈstʌm bəl /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. a false step, trip, or blunder

2. the act of stumbling

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of stumble

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

Explanation

To stumble means to nearly fall by tripping or missing a step. When you walk over uneven cobblestones, it’s easy to stumble, so please be careful. While stumble often means to nearly fall, it can also mean to make a misstep of a different kind. If you stumble over your words, you speak in a stuttering confused manner. Politicians make so many public decisions that they're bound to stumble — make a mistake — occasionally. When you stumble on rare mushrooms, i.e. come across them unexpectedly, be sure have the species verified before you eat them.

Example Sentences

A promised upgrade to Apple's digital assistant Siri was delayed, in what analysts called a rare stumble for the company.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

And a stumble early in the tournament would make the kind of deep run Pochettino promised that much more difficult.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Even if businesses or consumers stumble, the federal government can usually soften the blow by boosting spending, cutting taxes or bailing out the financial system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

A promised upgrade to its Siri digital assistant was delayed, in what analysts called a rare stumble for the company.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

I manage to stumble inside, to the couch.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

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