/'stʌmbl; `stʌmbl/
v [I, Ipr]
1 ~ (over sth) strike one's foot against sth and almost fall 绊脚
*stumble and fall 绊倒
* I stumbled over a tree root. 树根绊了我的脚.
2 ~ (over sth); ~ through sth make a mistake or mistakes as one speaks, plays music, etc （说话、演奏等）出错
*She stumbled briefly (over the unfamiliar word) but then continued. 她（碰到不认识的字）愣了一下, 接着又往下念.
* The child stumbled through a piece by Chopin. 那孩子演奏萧邦的曲子很不流畅.
3 (phr v) stumble about, along, around, etc move or walk unsteadily (in the specified direction) （朝某方向）摇摇晃晃地移动或步履蹒跚
*A drunk stumbled past us. 有个喝醉的人跌跌撞撞地从我们身边走过.
* stumbling around in the dark 在黑暗中瞎闯. =>Usage at shuffle 用法见shuffle. stumble across/on sb/sth find sb/sth unexpectedly or by chance 意外地或偶然地发现某人[某事物]
*Police investigating tax fraud stumbledacross a drugs ring. 警方在调查瞒税案件时意外地发现了一个贩毒集团.

n act of stumbling 绊脚; 出错.

v [I]
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language]
to hit your foot against something or put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running, so that you almost fall
= 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.
to walk in an unsteady way and often almost fall
= staggerstumble in/out/across etc
　He stumbled upstairs and into bed.
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.
>stumblen[C]
stumble on/across/upon [stumble on/across/upon sth] phr v
to find or discover something by chance and unexpectedly
= come across
　Researchers have stumbled across a drug that may help patients with Parkinson's disease.