stumbled
v.v. to trip or lose your balance while walking. It can also mean to find something by accident or to make a mistake while speaking.
v. to trip or momentarily lose one's balance while walking or running; figuratively, to encounter something by chance or to falter in speech or action.
He stumbled over a loose stone on the path.
While researching his family history, he stumbled upon a collection of letters from the nineteenth century.
The witness stumbled through her testimony, clearly unnerved by the aggressive questioning from the defense attorney during the cross-examination.
Often used with the preposition 'over' for physical tripping or 'upon' and 'on' for accidental discoveries.
He stumbled the rockHe stumbled over the rockWhen referring to the object that caused the trip, the verb is intransitive and requires the preposition 'over'.