Meaning of “stumble” in the English Dictionary

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"stumble" in English

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stumbleverb

uk ​ /ˈstʌm.bəl/ us ​ /ˈstʌm.bəl/

stumble verb (WALK)

C2 [ I ] to step awkwardly while walking or running and fall or begin to fall:

Running along the beach, she stumbled on a log and fell on the sand.
In the final straight Meyers stumbled, and although he didn't fall it was enough to lose him first place.

› [ I usually + adv/prep ] to walk in a way that does not seem controlled:

We could hear her stumbling about/around the bedroom in the dark.
He pulled on his clothes and stumbled into the kitchen.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Phrasal verb(s)

stumble across/on/upon sth/sb
stumble into sth

(Definition of “stumble” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"stumble" in American English

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stumbleverb [ I ]

us ​ /ˈstʌm·bəl/

stumble verb [ I ] (FALL)

› to hit your foot against something while walking and almost fall, or to walk awkwardly as if you might fall:

She stumbled over a toy.
He stumbled around in the dark.

stumble verb [ I ] (MAKE A MISTAKE)

› to make a mistake, or to pause unexpectedly when speaking:

He stumbled through several early career choices.
Several times the reader stumbled over lines in the poem.

Phrasal verb(s)

stumble across/on something/someone
stumble into something

(Definition of “stumble” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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