stumble

Meaning

Noun

1. A fall, trip or substantial misstep.
2. An error or blunder.
3. A clumsy walk.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To trip or fall; to walk clumsily.
2. (intransitive) To make a mistake or have trouble.
3. (transitive) To cause to stumble or trip.
4. (figuratively, transitive) 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.

Synonyms

trip

falter

slip

stagger

fall down

stammer

misstep

blunder

fall

totter

stutter

lurch

reel

trip-up

trip up

trip over

stub one’s toe

fault

tumble

limp

sway

bumble

drop

stub

mistake

throw down

kick at

make fall

miss one’s footing

error

false step

stop short

collide

tremble

hobble

hit

hesitate

stumbling

spurn

slip up

catch on

discover

flounder

delay

plummet

topple

find

🔍

blooper

stop up

crippled

Translations

trébucher

tropezar

stolpern

inciampare

struikelen

tropeçar

straucheln

incespicare

broncher

tropiezo

σκοντάφτω

faux pas

achopper

cogner

schwanken

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈstʌmbəl/

Etymology

Cognate with German: stumm

Cognate with Dutch: stom

In summary

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”).