stumble on

verb3

1. •
   (figurative) To discover or find something by accident.
2. •
   (figurative) To meet somebody by chance.
3. •
   (figurative) To continue with difficulty in one's endeavours; to struggle on.

   • After 1849 Lord John Russell's government—virtually a Whig cousinhood—lurched but managed to stumble on until 1852. — 2009