stumble

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stam- (“to trip up; to stammer, stutter”), thereby related to German stumm (“mute”), Dutch stom (“dumb”). Doublet of stammer.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈstʌmbəl/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌmbəl

Noun

stumble (plural stumbles)

  1. A fall, trip or substantial misstep.
  2. An error or blunder.
    • 2022 July 21, Emily Hell, “TikTok’s Pink Sauce chef defends her viral condiment”, in Washington Post‎:
      She owns up to early stumbles, such as bottles being mislabeled.
  3. A clumsy walk.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      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.

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

stumble (third-person singular simple present stumbles, present participle stumbling, simple past and past participle stumbled)

  1. (intransitive) To trip or fall; to walk clumsily.
    He stumbled over a rock.
  2. (intransitive) To make a mistake or have trouble.
    I always stumble over verbs in Spanish.
  3. (transitive) To cause to stumble or trip.
  4. (transitive, figurative) To mislead; to confound; to cause to err or to fall.
  5. To strike or happen (upon a person or thing) without design; to fall or light by chance; with on, upon, or against.

Derived terms

Translations
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Translations to be checked

See also

Further reading

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