stumblingly


stum·ble

S0825300 (stŭm′bəl)v. stum·bled, stum·bling, stum·bles v.intr.1. a. To miss one's step in walking or running; trip and almost fall.b. To proceed unsteadily or falteringly; flounder. See Synonyms at blunder.c. To act or speak falteringly or clumsily: an inexperienced actor stumbling through his lines.2. To make a mistake or mistakes; blunder: The administration stumbled badly on foreign policy.3. To come upon accidentally or unexpectedly: "The urge to wider voyages ... caused men to stumble upon New America" (Kenneth Cragg).v.tr. To cause to stumble.n.1. The act of stumbling.2. A mistake or blunder.
[Middle English stumblen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stumra.]
stum′bler n.stum′bling·ly adv.