tripping

verb

present participle of trip
1
as in trotting
to go at a pace faster than a walk went tripping up the steps of city hall in their eagerness to get married

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily tripped over a chair and landed on her face

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hopping
to move with a light springing step dancers tripping lightly across the stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in traveling
to take a trip especially of some distance while he was growing up, the family tripped to New England every summer

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in fumbling
to make a mistake the press has had it in for the new governor, and they are just waiting for her to trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tripping The nearly two-minute spot depicts a club-wielding bureaucrat chasing and tripping a child on a bike and another stealing a boy’s scooter. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 The boy was outside by himself for a total of nine minutes and had fallen into the pool after tripping over an inflatable chair, the report added. — Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Aside from the sagre, there are some incredible gardens and charming towns within day-tripping distance of Rome that are especially lovely in the fall. — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2026 Officials said the bear swiped at the man, scratching his arm, and that the man went on to injure his foot after tripping while trying to escape. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 How quickly the brain and body react after tripping — with your foot automatically thrusting forward, for example, to prevent yourself from face-planting — is what plyometrics trains for. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The plumbing was failing, the floors were uneven and posed tripping hazards, the foundation was crumbling and sewage sometimes backed up into a corner of the kitchen. — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 7 Aug. 2026 Today, Hollywood agencies, studios and streamers are tripping over themselves to sign digital talent. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026 Additionally, most air bathtubs require around 110 volts of power, and some may require a 15-amp dedicated circuit to avoid tripping the breakers in your breaker box. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tripping
  1. trotting
  2. stumbling
  3. hopping
  4. traveling
  5. fumbling
  6. jogging
  7. falling
  8. bouncing
Verb
  • With his dog trotting closely behind him, Harlow greeted fans as many waited in line for New Balance backpacks and swag.
    — Ruby Grisin, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Donald Steven Lang, 62, was taken into custody over the weekend at the request of the United States, federal authorities said Tuesday, ending a far-reaching search for the globe-trotting sailor.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of trotting
Verb
  • Unlike other festivals, where audiences can be more forgiving, stumbling out of the gate at Venice can prove impossible for a contender to recover from.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Analysis from Zeki Data shows that where OpenAI and Anthropic are making gains in the AI talent market, Google DeepMind (and to some extent Meta) are stumbling.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • The likes of Dell, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo began hopping on the Wildcat Lake train fairly quickly, announcing would-be Neo competitors.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • To descend to the pitch-black floor of a crater, Chang’e-7 will deploy a novel hopping probe.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hopping
Verb
  • Jiwan Jyoti, a US citizen, was traveling with Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company and has been listed by the group as missing.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Go Beyond the 4x4 Of course, traveling by Icelandic truck is part of the thrill, but the adventure extends well beyond the vehicle itself.
    — Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of traveling
Verb
  • The Packers’ offense left the field, but came back after it was ruled that Watson was down before fumbling.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Here was his senior running back, who scored a 44-yard touchdown in their state championship win months earlier, fumbling on the very first play of the Blue-White scrimmage.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbling
Verb
  • In 2022, Oklahoma death row inmate William Reece received three life sentences after pleading guilty to three murders in Texas, including the killing of 12-year-old Laura Smither, who was abducted while jogging near her home in Friendswood in 1997.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • With his team trailing in the bottom of the 10th inning, Contreras grounded out to third and was once again booed after jogging down the line.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of jogging
Verb
  • In 2008, a fake story online about Jobs’ death sent Apple stock (AAPL) falling 9%.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • City officials said on Instagram that city crews have removed electrical lines mounted to nearby palm trees that are at risk of falling.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • Within that, the specific element of the tracking data which makes batting so tough is the inconsistency of bounce, with a large number of deliveries either spitting (bouncing excessively) or scooting (bouncing far less than anticipated).
    — Ben Jones Aug. 26, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But Dorsey’s Jesus Jimenez blocks the punt and Henry Badge picks up the bouncing ball in the end zone with no time left for a 19-14 win.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of bouncing

Browse Nearby Words

trippers
tripping
trippingly
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Cite this Entry

“Tripping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tripping. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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