stumble across/on/onto/upon
idiom
: to find or learn about (something) unexpectedly
I stumbled across/on/upon this book by chance.
We stumbled onto/across the ruins of an old fort.
They stumbled on/upon a bizarre plot.
He stumbled onto the truth.
Examples of stumble across/on/onto/upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Things rarely work, and in the rare instance where bureaucrats stumble on something that does, politicians try to ruin it for everyone.
—
Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 1 Aug. 2024
And Jade Carey won gold on floor, but a stumble on the runway kept her from vying for a vault medal.
—Emily Giambalvo, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
Now, how did the former reality star’s 8-year-old daughter stumble across the nearly 20-year-old song?
—Njera Perkins, Peoplemag, 18 July 2024
Similar to: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Episode length: 22 minutes
Rating: Ages 7+
All That (2019)
I was stoked to stumble across a reboot of sketch comedy All That on Paramount+, with Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell acting as executive producers.
—Refinery29 Staff, refinery29.com, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for stumble across/on/onto/upon 
Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 1 Aug. 2024
And Jade Carey won gold on floor, but a stumble on the runway kept her from vying for a vault medal.
—Emily Giambalvo, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
Now, how did the former reality star’s 8-year-old daughter stumble across the nearly 20-year-old song?
—Njera Perkins, Peoplemag, 18 July 2024
Similar to: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Episode length: 22 minutes
Rating: Ages 7+
All That (2019)
I was stoked to stumble across a reboot of sketch comedy All That on Paramount+, with Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell acting as executive producers.
—Refinery29 Staff, refinery29.com, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for stumble across/on/onto/upon
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stumble across/on/onto/upon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stumble across/on/onto/upon
Cite this Entry
“Stumble across/on/onto/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stumble%20across%2Fon%2Fonto%2Fupon. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share