stumble

stum·ble

 (stŭm′bəl)

v. stum·bled, stum·bling, stum·bles

v.intr.

1.

a. To miss one's step in walking or running; trip and almost fall.

b. To proceed unsteadily or falteringly; flounder. See Synonyms at blunder.

c. To act or speak falteringly or clumsily: an inexperienced actor stumbling through his lines.

2. To make a mistake or mistakes; blunder: The administration stumbled badly on foreign policy.

3. To come upon accidentally or unexpectedly: "The urge to wider voyages ... caused men to stumble upon New America" (Kenneth Cragg).

v.tr.

To cause to stumble.

n.

1. The act of stumbling.

2. A mistake or blunder.

---

[Middle English stumblen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stumra.]

---

stum′bler n.

stum′bling·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

stumble

(ˈstʌmbəl)

vb (intr)

1. to trip or fall while walking or running

2. to walk in an awkward, unsteady, or unsure way

3. to make mistakes or hesitate in speech or actions

4. (foll by: across or upon) to come (across) by accident

5. to commit a grave mistake or sin

n

6. a false step, trip, or blunder

7. the act of stumbling

[C14: related to Norwegian stumla, Danish dialect stumle; see stammer]

ˈstumbler n

ˈstumbling adj

ˈstumblingly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

stum•ble

(ˈstʌm bəl)

v. -bled, -bling,
n. v.i.

1. to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall.

2. to walk or go unsteadily.

3. to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, esp. a sinful one.

4. to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech (often fol. by along).

5. to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usu. fol. by on, upon, or across): They stumbled on a little village.

n.

6. the act of stumbling.

7. a moral lapse or error.

8. a slip or blunder.

[1275–1325; < Old Norse; akin to stammer]

stum′bler, n.

stum′bling•ly, adv.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

stumble

Past participle: stumbled
Gerund: stumbling

Imperative

stumble

stumble

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	stumble - an unsteady uneven gait     lurch, stagger gait - a person's manner of walking
	2.	stumble - an unintentional but embarrassing blunder; "he recited the whole poem without a single trip"; "he arranged his robes to avoid a trip-up later"; "confusion caused his unfortunate misstep" misstep, trip-up, trip blooper, blunder, boo-boo, botch, bungle, flub, foul-up, pratfall, bloomer - an embarrassing mistake
Verb	1.	stumble - walk unsteadily; "The drunk man stumbled about" bumble, falter walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"
	2.	stumble - miss a step and fall or nearly fall; "She stumbled over the tree root" trip move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" founder - stumble and nearly fall; "the horses foundered"
	3.	stumble - encounter by chance; "I stumbled across a long-lost cousin last night in a restaurant" hit come into, come by - obtain, especially accidentally
	4.	stumble - make an error; "She slipped up and revealed the name" slip up, trip up err, mistake, slip - to make a mistake or be incorrect

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

stumble

verb

1. trip, fall, slip, reel, stagger, falter, flounder, lurch, come a cropper (informal), lose your balance, blunder about The smoke was so thick that I stumbled on the first step.

2. totter, reel, stagger, blunder, falter, flounder, lurch, wobble, teeter, move clumsily I stumbled into the telephone box and dialled 999.

3. falter, hesitate, stammer, stutter, fluff (informal) His voiced wavered and he stumbled over his words.

stumble across or on or upon something or someone discover, find, come across, encounter, run across, chance upon, happen upon, light upon, blunder upon History relates that they stumbled on a magnificent waterfall.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

stumble

verb

1. To catch the foot against something and lose one's balance:

trip.

Idioms: lose one's footing, make a false step.

2. To walk unsteadily:

falter, lurch, reel, stagger, teeter, totter, weave, wobble.

3. To move awkwardly or clumsily:

blunder, bumble.

4. To proceed or perform in an unsteady, faltering manner:

blunder, bumble, bungle, flounder, fudge, fumble, limp, muddle, shuffle, stagger.

5. To make an error or mistake:

err, miscue, mistake, slip, slip up, trip up.

phrasal verb
stumble on or upon

To find or meet by chance:

bump into, chance on (or upon), come across, come on (or upon), find, happen on (or upon), light on (or upon), run across, run into, tumble on.

Archaic: alight on (or upon).

Idiom: meet up with.

noun

A stupid, clumsy mistake:

blunder, bull, bungle, foozle, fumble, muff.

Informal: blooper, boner.

Slang: bloomer, goof.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

يَتَعَثَّريَتَعَثَّرُيَتَلَعْثَم، يُتَعَثَّر بالكَلاميَمْشي بدون ثَبات

zakopnoutklopýtatzadrhávat

snubletumle afstedlede efter ordene

stolpernstottern

παραπαίωπαραπατώσκοντάφτω

tropezartropezónavanzar dando tropezones/traspiésbalbucir

kompastua

trébucherbroncherencoubler

spotaknuti se

akadozva beszélbotorkál

hrasaskjögraverîa fótaskortur á tungunni

inciamparepasso falsoscivolarescivolonescoglio

つまずく

걸려 넘어질 뻔하다

klupinėtikluptisukluptiužkliūti

aizķertiesiet klupšusklupt/aizķertiesstomīties

struikelen

snublesnuble over ordenetumle av gårde

potknąć się

gaguejartropeçar

спотыкаться

potkýnať sazaseknúť sa

spotakniti se

snubbla

สะดุด

tökezlemekyanlışlık yapmakdili sürçmeksendelemeksendeleyerek yürümek

vấp

蹒跚绊倒结结巴巴地说

stumble

[ˈstʌmbl]

A. N → tropezón m, traspié m

B. VI → tropezar, dar un traspié
to stumble against sth → tropezar contra algo
to stumble on; to go stumbling on (= keep walking) → avanzar dando traspiés
to stumble over sth → tropezar en algo
to stumble through a speech → pronunciar un discurso de cualquier manera, pronunciar un discurso atracándose
to stumble (up)on or across sth (fig) → tropezar con algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

stumble

[ˈstʌmb^əl] vi

(= trip) → trébucher
He stumbled and fell, exhausted → Il trébucha et tomba, épuisé.

(= walk unsteadily) → tituber
to stumble in → entrer en titubant
to stumble out → sortir en titubant
to stumble around → tituber

(= falter) to stumble over the words → buter sur les mots
His voice wavered and he stumbled over the words → Sa voix se brisait et il butait sur les mots.

stumble across

vt fus (= find unexpectedly) → tomber sur

stumble on

vt fus (= find unexpectedly) → tomber surstumbling block n → pierre f d'achoppement

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

stumble

n → Stolpern nt no pl, no indef art; (in speech etc) → Stocken nt no pl, no indef art

vi (lit, fig) → stolpern; (in speech) → stocken; to stumble against something → gegen etw stoßen; to stumble on something (lit) → über etw (acc) → stolpern; (fig) → auf etw (acc) → stoßen; he stumbled through a waltz/his speech → stockend or holperig spielte er einen Walzer/hielt er seine Rede

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

stumble

[ˈstʌmbl] vi → inciampare; (in speech) → incespicare
to stumble against sth → inciampare contro qc
to stumble in/out → entrare/uscire barcollando
to stumble on or across sth (fig) (secret) → scoprire per caso (photo) → trovare per caso

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

stumble

(ˈstambl) verb

1. to strike the foot against something and lose one's balance, or nearly fall. He stumbled over the edge of the carpet. struikel يَتَعَثَّر препъвам се tropeçar zakopnout stolpern snuble σκοντάφτωtropezar komistama لغزيدن kompastua trébucher לִמעוֹד ठोकर खाना, ठोकर लगाना spotaknuti se, posrnuti megbotlik tersandung hrasa inciampare つまずく 발부리가 걸리다 užkliūti, suklupti aizķerties; paklupt tersandung struikelensnublepotknąć się ښویدل tropeçar a se împiedica спотыкаться zakopnúť spotakniti se saplesti se snubbla, snava สะดุด sendelemek, tökezlemek 絆倒 спотикатися ٹھوکر کھانا sẩy chân, trượt chân 绊倒

2. to walk unsteadily. He stumbled along the track in the dark. strompel يَمْشي بدون ثَبات крача неуверено andar aos tropeções klopýtat stolpern tumle afsted σκουντουφλώ, περπατάω με αστάθεια avanzar dando tropezones/traspiés komberdama تلوتلو خوردن kompastella avancer en trébuchant לְהִשתַרֵך लड़खड़ाना posrtati botorkál tersaruk-saruk skjögra incespicare よろよろ歩く 비틀거리며 걷다 klupinėti iet klupšus terhuyung-hayang strompelentumle av gårdeutykać, iść utykając کوږوږ تلل، زنګیدل andar aos tropeçOes a se clătina ковылять potkýnať sa spotikati se tumarati stappla, snubbla เดินโซเซ sendeleyerek yürümek 蹣跚 шкандибати, шкутильгати لڑکھڑانا đi loạng choạng 蹒跚

3. to make mistakes, or hesitate in speaking, reading aloud etc. He stumbles over his words when speaking in public. struikel يَتَلَعْثَم، يُتَعَثَّر بالكَلام греша tropeçar zadrhávat stottern snuble over ordene; lede efter ordene κομπιάζω, μπλέκει η γλώσσα μου tropezar, atrabancarse; balbucir takerduma, koperdama خطاي لفظي كردن sotkeutua hésiter en parlant לְגַמגֵם भूल करना zamuckivati, pogriješiti akadozva beszél terbata-bata verða fótaskortur á tungunni incespicare, esitare しくじる 실수하다, 말을 더듬다 klupti klupt/aizķerties (pie vārdiem); stomīties tergagap-gagap struikelensnuble over ordenejąkać się لفظی خطاء کول tropeçar a se poticni la vorbă запинаться zaseknúť sa, zaraziť sa zatikati se zaplitati staka sig พูดตะกุกตะกัก yanlışlık yapmak; dili sürçmek 結結巴巴地說(讀) затинатися; помилятися غلطی کرنا ngần ngại, lưỡng lự 结结巴巴地说（读）

ˈstumbling-block noun

a difficulty that prevents progress. struikelblok حَجَر عَثْرَه спънка obstáculo kámen úrazu das Hindernis forhindring εμπόδιοtropiezo, escollo komistuskivi سد راه kompastuskivi pierre d'achoppementמכשול कठिनाई, बाधा, अवरोध, अडंगा, ठोकर kamen spoticanja, zapreka akadály halangan ásteytingarsteinn; hindrun ostacolo, intoppo 障害 장애물 kliūtis piedauzības akmens halangan struikelblokhindring zawada د لاری خنډ obstáculo piatră de încercare камень преткновения kameň úrazu kamen spotike kamen spoticanja stötesten สิ่งกีดขวาง engel, mâni 絆腳石 камінь спотикання رکاوٹ hoàn cảnh gây khó khăn 绊脚石

stumble across/on

to find by chance. I stumbled across this book today in a shop. ontdek يَعْثُر بالصُّدْفَه натъквам се deparar com padnout na zufällig stoßen auf falde over βρίσκω τυχαία tropezar con, encontrar por casualidad peale sattuma تصادفا به چيزي برخوردن löytää sattumalta tomber sur לְהִיתַקֵל בְּמַפתִיע संयोग से मिल जाना, संयोग से ठोकर लगना naletjeti, slučajno naići rábukkan vmire dengan tak sengaja rekast á (trovare per caso) 偶然に見つける 뜻밖에 만나다 aptikti nejauši atrast; uziet dengan tak sengaja toevallig tegenkomen finne tilfeldig, slumpe tilnatknąć się تصادفاُ یو شی سره مخامخ کیدل deparar com a da peste натолкнуться natrafiť, naraziť na naleteti na naleteti na stöta (råka) på พบโดยบังเอิญ tesadüfen bulmak 偶爾發現 наштовхнутися کسی چیز کو دریافت کرنا tìm thấy một cách tình cờ 偶尔发现

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

stumble

→ يَتَعَثَّرُ zakopnout snuble stolpern παραπατώ tropezar kompastua trébucher spotaknuti se inciampare つまずく 걸려 넘어질 뻔하다 struikelen snuble potknąć się tropeçar спотыкаться snubbla สะดุด tökezlemek vấp 蹒跚

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

stumble

vi tropezar, dar un traspié

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.