Meaning

A fall, trip or substantial misstep..

Definitions by Sense

1. A fall, trip or substantial misstep.
2. An error or blunder.
3. A clumsy walk.
4. (intransitive) To trip or fall; to walk clumsily.
5. (intransitive) To make a mistake or have trouble.
6. (transitive) To cause to stumble or trip.
7. (transitive, figurative) To mislead; to confound; to cause to err or to fall.
8. To strike or happen (upon a person or thing) without design; to fall or light by chance; with on, upon, across, or against.

Example Sentences

I went to his aid. As he said, a board in the floor was loose. His stepping on it unawares had caused his stumble.

Possibly Mr. Carrados was considering it from his own way round for he did not appear to notice anything in her stumble.

She owns up to early stumbles, such as bottles being mislabeled.

From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.

He stumbled over a rock.

Last night, you drunkenly stumbled to the front door, waking up the whole house.

He stumbled up the dark avenue.

I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for.

Word Forms

• stumbles
• stumbling
• stumbled

Synonyms for stumble

Related Words

When Should You Use Stumble?

Use stumble when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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