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stumble across

stum·ble a·cross
S s

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [stuhm-buh l uh-kraws, uh-kros]
    • /ˈstʌm bəl əˈkrɔs, əˈkrɒs/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [stuhm-buh l uh-kraws, uh-kros]
    • /ˈstʌm bəl əˈkrɔs, əˈkrɒs/

Definitions of stumble across words

  • verb without object stumble across to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip. 1
  • verb without object stumble across to walk or go unsteadily: to stumble down a dark passage. 1
  • verb without object stumble across to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one: to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace. 1
  • verb without object stumble across to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech (often followed by along). 1
  • verb without object stumble across to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, or across): They stumbled on a little village. 1
  • verb without object stumble across to falter or hesitate, as at an obstacle to progress or belief. 1
See all 12 definitions of stumble across

Information block about the term

Origin of stumble across

First appearance:

before 1275
One of the 13% oldest English words
1275-1325; Middle English stumblen; cognate with Norwegian stumla to grope and stumble in the dark; akin to stammer

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Stumble across

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Stumble across

stumble across popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 90% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

stumble across usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for stumble across

verb stumble across

  • arrive at — to reach by traveling
  • dig up — to break up, turn over, or remove earth, sand, etc., as with a shovel, spade, bulldozer, or claw; make an excavation.
  • hit upon — to deal a blow or stroke to: Hit the nail with the hammer.
All 3 Synonyms of stumble across

See also

Matching words

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