1 B1 idiomatic neutral
To find or discover something unexpectedly and by chance while doing something else.
"While cleaning the attic, she stumbled across a box of her grandmother's letters."
inseparable
stumble across
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To find or discover something by accident, without looking for it.
In plain English
Find something by accident when you were not looking for it.
What does "stumble across" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To move unsteadily across a surface or space, nearly falling.
"He stumbled across the dark room, looking for the light switch."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To stumble (trip and almost fall) across a path — walking unsteadily and accidentally stepping over something.
Actually means
Find something by accident when you were not looking for it.
Usage tip
Interchangeable with 'stumble upon' and 'stumble on'. The image is of physically tripping over something — you find it because you literally stumbled into it. Very natural in both spoken and written English.
Words that pair with "stumble across"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
article photo document shop fact evidence
How to conjugate "stumble across"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
stumble across
I/you/we/they
3rd person
stumbles across
he/she/it
Past simple
stumbled across
yesterday
Past participle
stumbled across
have + pp
-ing form
stumbling across
continuous
Hear "stumble across" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "stumble across" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.