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Added 9 October 2026

stumble

/ˈstʌmbəl/ noun

Categories: ActionsRare Words

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about stumble at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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

verb

  1. : To misstep; to walk or run clumsily; to trip or fall.
    He stumbled over a rock.
  2. To misstep; to walk or run clumsily; to trip or fall.
    He stumbled over a rock.
  3. To make mistakes, to have trouble.
    I always stumble over verbs in Spanish.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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