stumble

noun

1. an unsteady uneven gait

Similar word(s): lurch, stagger

Definition categories: act, gait

2. an unintentional but embarrassing blunder

Similar word(s): misstep, trip

Definition categories: act, bloomer, blooper, blunder, botch, bungle, flub, pratfall

verb

1. walk unsteadily

- The drunk man stumbled about

Similar word(s): bumble, falter

Definition categories: motion, walk

2. miss a step and fall or nearly fall

- She stumbled over the tree root

Similar word(s): trip

Definition categories: motion, move

3. encounter by chance

- I stumbled across a long-lost cousin last night in a restaurant

Similar word(s): hit

Definition categories: possession

4. make an error

Definition categories: cognition, err, mistake, slip