stumble
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stumble
- /ˈstʌmbəl/
- /ˈstʊmbəl/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌmbəl
Where it comes from
Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stam- (“to trip up; to stammer, stutter”), thereby related to German stumm (“mute”), Dutch stom (“dumb”). Doublet of stammer. Also related to verb in Dutch stommelen (“to walk silently”).
noun stumbles
- A fall, trip or substantial misstep. I went to his aid. As he said, a board in the floor was loose. His stepping on it unawares had caused his stumble.
-
An error or blunder.
Possibly Mr. Carrados was considering it from his own way round for he did not appear to notice anything in her stumble.
Similar: blooper, blunder, boo-boo, defect, error, fault, faux pas, fluff, gaffe, lapse, mistake, slip
- A clumsy walk. 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.
verb stumbles · stumbling · stumbled
- To misstep; to walk or run clumsily; to trip or fall. He stumbled over a rock.
- To make mistakes, to have trouble. I always stumble over verbs in Spanish.
-
To cause to stumble or trip.
Slowly, I turned around and the shock of it stumbled me back a few steps.
Similar: trip up
-
To mislead, to cause to err or fall.
False and dazzling fires to stumble men.
Similar: confound
- To make a discovery unexpectedly or accidentally; to chance, come, or happen (upon a person or thing) (with onto, across, on, upon). We stumbled onto the answer without even trying.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: stagger, lurch, falter, bumble, trip up, blunder, slip up, misstep, hit, trip, faltering, tumble, obstacle, hindrance, distress, fall
Translations
Every language
noun a fall or trip
| Español | tropezón, traspié, trompezón |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 失足 shīzú |
| Português | tropeço |
| Français | chute, faux pas |
| Deutsch | Stolpern, Fehltritt |
| Italiano | scivolone |
| Русский | спотыка́ние spotykánije |
| العربية | عَثْرَة ʕaṯra |
noun an error or blunder
| Español | desliz, torpeza, tropiezo, trompezón |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 過失 /过失 guòshī |
| Français | bourde |
| Deutsch | Fehler, Schnitzer, Ausrutscher, Patzer |
| Русский | про́мах prómax |
| العربية | تَلَعْثَمَ talaʕṯama |
verb to trip or fall
| Español | tropezar, trompezar, topar, dar traspiés, dar un traspié, dar un mal paso |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 넘어질 뻔하다 neomeojil ppeonhada |
| 日本語 | 躓く tsumazuku |
| 中文 | 絆倒 /绊倒 bàndǎo |
| Kiswahili | kwaa |
| Português | tropeçar, topar, esbarrar, bater com um obstáculo |
| Français | trébucher, faire un faux pas, broncher |
| Deutsch | stolpern |
| Italiano | scivolare, inciampare, imbattersi, incontrare |
| Русский | спотыка́ться spotykátʹsja, оступа́ться ostupátʹsja |
| العربية | عَثَرَ ʕaṯara |
verb to walk clumsily
| Español | caminar torpemente |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 蹣跚而行 /蹒跚而行 |
| Deutsch | staksen |
| Italiano | incespicare |
verb to make a mistake or have trouble
| Español | tropezar, trompezar, atrancarse, trabarse, trastrabillar, trastabillar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 넘어질 뻔하다 neomeojil ppeonhada |
| 中文 | 犯錯 /犯错 fàncuò |
| Português | tropeçar, cometer um erro |
| Italiano | sbagliarsi |
| Русский | ошиба́ться ošibátʹsja, оступа́ться ostupátʹsja |
verb to cause to stumble or trip
| Español | trastrabillar, trastabillar, trastrabillear, trastabillear, tropezar, trompezar |
|---|
Talk about this word "stumble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stumble. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. stumble. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stumble "stumble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stumble.Cite this
@misc{stumble_2026,
title = {stumble},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stumble},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
