stumble on
Discover by luck
To stumble on something is to discover it by chance rather than by searching: I stumbled on an old letter in the attic, She stumbled on the solution while working on a different problem.
The phrase evokes literally tripping over something in your path—an accidental encounter.
Also stumble upon or stumble across.
Meet unexpectedly or collide
- come acrossFind accidentally
- chance uponFind unexpectedly
- bump intoMeet without planning
- meetCome into contact
cross paths · happen upon · find · encounter · run across · fall upon · light on · chance on
Reveal what's hidden
- findLocate through effort
- unearthExcavate or reveal hidden
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- breakthroughSudden important advance
serendipity · epiphany · realization · insight · discovery · detect · happen upon · lucky find
run into
Meet unexpectedly or collide
- come acrossFind accidentally
- chance uponFind unexpectedly
- bump intoMeet without planning
meet · cross paths · happen upon · find · encounter · run across · fall upon · light on · chance on · hit on
uncover
Reveal what's hidden
- findLocate through effort
- unearthExcavate or reveal hidden
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
breakthrough · serendipity · epiphany · realization · insight · discovery · detect · happen upon · lucky find · come upon
stumble onseek out
Try to find intentionally
hunt for · research · look for · track down · investigate
stumble, stumbling, stumbled, stumbles, stumble upon, stumbler, stumblers, stumblingly