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trébucher

stumble, trip

verb treh-boo-SHEH Rare

Usage Note

Trébucher describes physically stumbling over something (trébucher sur une pierre) but also metaphorically struggling over a difficulty (trébucher sur un mot = to stumble over a word). The related noun trébuchet is a medieval trebuchet catapult, sharing the root sense of something being thrown off balance.

Examples

"Elle a trébuché sur une racine."

Natural Translation

She tripped on a root.

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