stumble
3
2.2
- noun
- /ˈstʌmbl/
:
tropezón
- After her sudden stumble down the stairs, she took a moment to regain her balance.
- stumble and fall
- few stumbles
But in all this stumbling around in the dark by the field of mental health, a lot of this is not being made sufficiently clear.
- But in all this stumbling around in the dark by the field of mental health, a lot of this is not being made sufficiently clear.
Examples
-
Great gray half moons hung under his eyes, and he carried himself with a stooping limp that appeared one stumble away from total collapse.
Fiction book (1995) -
One trip, one stumble, is sometimes all that it takes.
Blog text (1) -
A stumble and fall is heard.
Fiction book (1998) -
With nary a trip nor a stumble, Tory makes his way to the kart.
-
My openness and determination to grow with every step and stumble have been life-changing.
Blog text (7) -
Wrecks acknowledged the signal by a single snort and continued the disorganized forward stumble that served him for a walk.
Fiction book (1997) -
Their two victories after four season-opening stumbles have been tight affairs against mediocre opponents.
Blog text (9) -
After initial stumbles, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet, and Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King have enhanced their reputation and earned the respect of both authorities and markets.
Academic text (2008) -
She had a stumble while walking on the uneven pavement and almost fell.
-
His unexpected stumble on the stage caused a few chuckles in the audience.
Synonyms
8
1.0
An accidental sliding that makes you lose your balance
7
4.7
A sudden unsteady movement, often forward or to one side
5
5.0
An unsteady way of walking as if about to fall
Idioms
- Informal
1
5.6
To speak with small pauses and mistakes because you are nervous
How Unsteady
Surface Forms
Etymology
Stumble as a noun grew from the same image of hitting a stump and almost falling. So a stumble is the moment you 'lose balance' or nearly fall.