tripping up
Making someone stumble
Tripping up means to stumble or lose one's footing, often by catching one's foot on something: I tripped up on the uneven sidewalk.
More commonly it describes causing someone to make a mistake or catching them in an error: The prosecutor kept tripping up the witness with contradictory questions.
You can also trip yourself up by overthinking or second-guessing: I always trip myself up on the easy questions.
- fallDescend under gravity
- staggerWalk unsteadily, sway
- slipMinor error or misstep
- misstepError in action or judgment
- false stepMistake in action
losing footing · slip up · stumble · lurch · derail · thwart · sabotage · catch off guard · banana peel · oversight · catch · flounder · faux pas · wobble · throw off balance · hinder · foil · obstruct
tripping upsurefooted
Steady and stable underfoot
gliding · balanced · nimble-footed · light-footed · poised
tripping upsucceeding
Attaining aims or following
getting it right · nailing it · acing · pulling off · hitting the mark
tripping uphelping out
Providing voluntary assistance
supporting · assisting · helping · enabling · facilitating