stumble
verb/ˈstʌmbl/
/ˈstʌmbl/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they stumble | /ˈstʌmbl/ /ˈstʌmbl/ |
| he / she / it stumbles | /ˈstʌmblz/ /ˈstʌmblz/ |
| past simple stumbled | /ˈstʌmbld/ /ˈstʌmbld/ |
| past participle stumbled | /ˈstʌmbld/ /ˈstʌmbld/ |
| -ing form stumbling | /ˈstʌmblɪŋ/ /ˈstʌmblɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to hit your foot against something while you are walking or running and almost fall synonym trip
- The child stumbled and fell.
- stumble over/on something I stumbled over a rock.
Extra Examples- She stumbled a little on the uneven path.
- (figurative) The economy stumbled badly at the end of 2000.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- nearly
- a little
- …
- down
- from
- into
- …
- stumble over the/your words
- stumble to your feet
- accidentally
- by chance
- unwittingly
- …
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to walk or move in an unsteady way
- Max stumbled out of bed sleepily.
- We were stumbling around in the dark looking for a candle.
Extra Examples- The old man stumbled out into the night.
- He stumbled drunkenly across the road.
- Half asleep, she stumbled into the bathroom.
- They stumbled over the field.
- The train stopped, and several passengers stumbled to their feet.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- nearly
- a little
- …
- down
- from
- into
- …
- stumble over the/your words
- stumble to your feet
- accidentally
- by chance
- unwittingly
- …
- [intransitive] stumble (over/through something) to make a mistake or mistakes and stop while you are speaking, reading to somebody or playing music
- In her nervousness she stumbled over her words.
- I stumbled through the piano piece with difficulty.
Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from Old Norse, from the Germanic base of stammer.
Check pronunciation:
stumble