stumble

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++stum·ble /ˈstʌmbəl/ verb [intransitive] 1 FALLto hit your foot against something or put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running, so that you almost fall 绊脚，绊跌，绊了一下 SYN trip In her hurry, she stumbled and spilled the milk all over the floor. 匆忙中她绊了一下，把牛奶洒得满地都是。stumble over/on Vic stumbled over the step as he came in. 维克进来时在台阶上绊了一下。► see thesaurus at fall2 WALKto walk in an unsteady way and often almost fall 蹒跚而行，踉跄 SYN staggerstumble in/out/across etc He stumbled upstairs and into bed. 他踉踉跄跄地走上楼，一头倒在床上。3 MISTAKEto stop or make a mistake when you are reading to people or speaking 〔朗读或说话时〕结巴，说错stumble over/at/through I hope I don’t stumble over any of the long words. 希望我说那些长单词不会结结巴巴。4 stumble on/across/upon something phrasal verb FINDto find or discover something by chance and unexpectedly 偶然发现[碰见] SYN come across Researchers have stumbled across a drug that may help patients with Parkinson’s disease. 研究人员偶然发现了一种或可治疗帕金森病的药物。 —stumble noun [countable]→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

stumble• She begun to run, stumbling.• As she stumbled along the path, she began to sob.• In her hurry, Eva stumbled and dropped the tray she was carrying.• She stumbled backward, out of range, but he stepped toward her and raised his stick again.• One runner stumbled, but was able to regain her balance.• As they stumbled lower one sound rose up to meet them.• Mason headed towards the house, stumbling on the rough ground.• They stumble over simple words or figures.• He stumbled over the upturned pot but scrambled back to his feet.• The room was dark, and Stan nearly fell over a chair as he stumbled to the phone.• I finished the whiskey, then stumbled upstairs and into bed.stumble over/on• It emerged as the most successful of the dozen experiments, largely because it stumbled on a different way of doing business.• Fleischmann and Pons believed that they had stumbled on another way - intense pressures provided by the natural make-up of solid palladium.• All there was left to do was to stumble on, dutifully following the tracks on the ground as they appeared.• Swinton thinks perhaps she stumbled on Orlando in the school library.• Then in 1967 he stumbled on the bizarre internecine warfare of the genes that we shall meet in chapter 4.• Once he stumbled on the cobbles.• He stumbled over the curb as he crossed the street.• But Smolan says he stumbled on the idea in 1994 while sharing Thanksgiving dinner with college friends.• He stumbled over the upturned pot but scrambled back to his feet.stumble in/out/across etc• You might stumble across a phrase or image that seems possible, but as a whole this faux scrapbook reeks.• And that was really it until I stumble across her at the Pierpont Morgan Library.• I stumbled across one shack, but was lucky this farmer was easy going.• He heard the President stumble in the bathroom.• For a few moments she would hear him stumbling in the dark outside, groping his way to the road.• He pushed himself back up on to his feet again and started to stumble across the sand to the village.• They had stumbled in upon what was quite clearly nothing less than a pagan sacrifice.stumble over/at/through• Miguel got the serious giggles as he ran from the car, stumbling over bricks.• I've never seen such terrible country; it was a constant stumble over grassy hummocks and peat-bogs.• I stumbled over him when he was visiting Ted Yaxlee.• Harrison stumbled through his speech.• He stumbled over his words as he read his speech from a Teleprompter.• He is a man who stumbles through life going through various coincidences and improbabilities.• I patted the night table down and stumbled over my glasses.• The khthon stumbled over the response.• Interestingly even organizations known for effectively managing through change stumble at times over that mistake.Origin stumble (1300-1400) Probably from a Scandinavian language

stum·ble verbChineseSyllable

put Corpus or foot hit your to something against your

stumble
stum‧ble /ˈstʌmbəl/

verb [intransitive]

Date: 1300-1400
Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language

1. to hit your foot against something or put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running, so that you almost fall
SYN trip:

In her hurry, she stumbled and spilled the milk all over the floor.
stumble over/on

Vic stumbled over the step as he came in.
2. to walk in an unsteady way and often almost fall
   SYN stagger
    stumble in/out/across etc

He stumbled upstairs and into bed.
3. to stop or make a mistake when you are reading to people or speaking
stumble over/at/through

I hope I don’t stumble over any of the long words.
—stumble noun [countable]

THESAURUS

   ▪ fall (also fall over, fall down) to suddenly go down onto the floor when standing, walking, or running: She fell on the stairs and broke her ankle. | Children are always falling over.
   ▪ trip on/over something to fall or almost fall when you hit your foot against something: Someone might trip over those toys. | I tripped on a piece of wood.
   ▪ slip to fall or almost fall when you are walking on a wet or very smooth surface: She slipped and hurt her ankle. | I was scared I would slip on the highly polished floor.
   ▪ stumble to almost fall when you put your foot down in an awkward way: He stumbled and almost fell. | One of our porters stumbled on the rough ground.
   ▪ collapse to fall suddenly and heavily to the ground, especially when you become unconscious: One of the runners collapsed halfway through the race.
   ▪ lose your balance to become unsteady so that you start to fall over: She lost her balance on the first step and fell down the stairs. | Have something to hold onto, in case you lose your balance.
   ▪ fall flat on your face to fall forwards so you are lying on your front on the ground: She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.

stumble on/across/upon something phrasal verb
  to find or discover something by chance and unexpectedly
   SYN come across:

Researchers have stumbled across a drug that may help patients with Parkinson’s disease.

stum·ble

BrE

/ˈstʌmbl/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈstʌmbl/

🔊

verb

present simple - I / you / we / they

stumble

BrE