stumble

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stam- (“to trip up; to stammer, stutter”), thereby related to German stumm (“mute”), Dutch stom (“dumb”). Doublet of stammer.

noun

1. A fall, trip or substantial misstep.
2. An error or blunder.
   She owns up to early stumbles, such as bottles being mislabeled. 21 July 2022, Emily Hell, “TikTok’s Pink Sauce chef defends her viral condiment”, in Washington Post
3. A clumsy walk.
   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away. 2013-06-08, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52

verb

1. (intransitive) To trip or fall; to walk clumsily.
   He stumbled over a rock.
   I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
2. (intransitive) To make a mistake or have trouble.
   I always stumble over verbs in Spanish.
3. (transitive) To cause to stumble or trip.
   Slowly, I turned around and the shock of it stumbled me back a few steps. 2017, Jacqueline Druga, Sleepers, page 39
4. (transitive, figurative) To mislead; to confound; to cause to err or to fall.
5. To strike or happen (upon a person or thing) without design; to fall or light by chance; with on, upon, or against.
   Forth as she waddled in the brake, / A grey goose stumbled on a snake. 1754, Christopher Smart, Snake