stumbling 1 of 2

adjective

as in muttering

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stumbling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stumble
1
as in falling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily the bride stumbled on the altar steps and landed smack in the arms of the minister

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually stumbled twice while she was reciting the "Gettysburg Address"

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3
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily the tipsy revelers left the path and wearily stumbled through the tangled undergrowth

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4
as in fumbling
to make a mistake that network announcer rarely stumbles when he's on the air

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of stumbling
Verb
Resendiz finished strongly, sending Mazoudier stumbling backward in the final minute. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Not everybody getting off the ride, stumbling to see their picture on the wall, agrees that the thrills were worth the chills. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026 In an era of geotags and influencers, there’s something deeply satisfying about stumbling upon a place that still feels like a secret. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026 Charlie Pankow Moorpark The fumbling, bumbling Chargers keep stumbling in their unprecedented 0-4 start in the Jim Harbaugh era. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 Unlike every other film genre, the history of horror, at least since the 1950s, is a story of amateurs stumbling in the dark. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026 Instead of stumbling like the Phillies and Cubs, the Padres surged and took with them the #1 Wild Card spot, earning the right to host this series. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 One of my favorite projects involved walking across the largest city in the Lower 48, only with the general framework of a plan, stumbling upon all kinds of interesting people, places and history. — Mark Woods, Florida Times-Union, 20 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling
  1. faltering
  2. falling
  3. struggling
  4. shuffling
  5. fumbling
  6. sputtering
  7. tripping
  8. blundering
Adjective
  • Means, from his perch, had pushed back on characterizations that the MAHA movement was faltering, serving as an insider voice witnessing Kennedy at work.
    — Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Politicians may read those numbers and think twice before stepping in to rescue faltering AI firms.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltering
Verb
  • To make matters worse, Tesla’s profits have been falling while SpaceX’s bottom line is taking off.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • That means paying off your cards is more important than ever to avoid falling deeper into debt.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • The school has implemented programs to help struggling students close achievement gaps and introduced the Hadley Literacy Plan to improve writing schoolwide.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Fashion’s nature risks and dependencies are wide-reaching, from cotton harvests ravaged by drought and leather supply chains riddled with deforestation, to manufacturing hubs struggling with water scarcity and retail networks affected by flooding.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • The Current traded away some assets while shuffling stars like Michelle Cooper, Temwa Chawinga and Lorena in and out of the lineup.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • And for a quarterback whose superpower involves shuffling through collapsing pockets, scrambling through squalor, throwing off any and every platform — such a question was warranted.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • After not fumbling all year and not committing a turnover throughout the month of October, Young got strip-sacked in the second quarter and Tampa Bay returned it for a touchdown.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Seahawks had one of the worst turnovers in the NFL this season, fumbling in their own end zone and handing the 49ers a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the first half.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumbling
Adjective
  • On a day that Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis threw two interceptions and lost a fumble and again generally struggled, coach Jeff Hafley said the turnovers are not acceptable and made clear the team’s sputtering passing game must be better.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • America’s cost-of-living concerns and a bond market meltdown aren’t functions of a sputtering economy that’s running out of gas.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sputtering
Verb
  • In overtime, the Golden Knights quickly took advantage of a tripping penalty on Kings center Scott Laughton.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Behar, who dislocated the shoulder after catching her heel and tripping last week at The View‘s ABC studio building in New York, is expected to return to the show next week.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of tripping
Verb
  • Only a blundering idiot could spoil such an alliance and threaten damage to Florida’s economy.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • On Monday, the first day of the trial in which Basabe is representing himself without an attorney, the proceedings were shaded by Basabe’s blundering legal missteps and procedural chaos.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of blundering

Phrases Containing stumbling

Browse Nearby Words

stumble (upon)
stumbling
stumbling block
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Cite this Entry

“Stumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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