stumble on
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words
Find something by accident, or trip over something.
Literal meaning: To stumble (trip) on something — catching your foot on an obstacle while walking.
Meanings
1 B1
idiomatic
neutral
To find or discover something by chance, without having planned or searched for it.
"Researchers stumbled on the ancient ruins while conducting a survey of the area."
Grammar: inseparable
2 A2 neutral
To catch one's foot on an obstacle while walking and nearly fall.
"The child stumbled on a loose paving stone and grazed her knee."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Interchangeable with 'stumble upon' and 'stumble across'. The discovery sense is more frequent than the literal physical sense in modern usage.
Commonly used with
evidence treasure article stone truth idea
Forms
Base
stumble on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
stumbles on
he/she/it
Past simple
stumbled on
yesterday
Past participle
stumbled on
have + pp
-ing form
stumbling on
continuous
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