trundle

1 of 2

verb

trun·​dle ˈtrən-dᵊl How to pronounce trundle (audio)
trundled; trundling ˈtrən(d)-liŋ How to pronounce trundle (audio)
ˈtrən-dᵊl-iŋ

transitive verb

1
a
: to propel by causing to rotate : roll
a … child who was trundling a hoopCharles Dickens
b
archaic : to cause to revolve : spin
2
: to transport in or as if in a wheeled vehicle : haul, wheel
trundled him off to school

intransitive verb

1
: to progress by revolving
2
: to move on or as if on wheels : roll
buses trundling through the city
trundler
ˈtrən(d)-lər How to pronounce trundle (audio)
ˈtrən-dᵊl-ər
noun

trundle

2 of 2

noun

1
: the motion or sound of something rolling
2
3
: a round or oval wooden tub

Examples of trundle in a Sentence

Verb She trundled her suitcase into the room. The children trundled off to bed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
No matter the culture, whatever the era, primal human wiring governs a truism: When a chef trundles a cart into a dark dining room and sets food theatrically ablaze, heads will turn from every direction. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Apple doesn't make another modern operating system that still runs on things made in 2015, but the 1080p 4th-generation Apple TV is still trundling along with its iPhone 6-era Apple A8 processor. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2023 Unlike the old days, with the endless immigration lines and platoons of Homeland Security agents stamping passports, the commercial terminal now required you to simply step onto an auto-walk, which trundled you through a concourse the length of a couple football fields. Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 5 Feb. 2024 Martinson stood with us on a gangway, watching as logs trundled along conveyor belts and into the blades that cut them into long planks, which are then treated, kiln-dried and stress-tested. William Booth, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023 Tucked inside was Pragyan, a small, six-wheeled rover that trundled down a ramp onto the moon’s surface. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 24 Aug. 2023 The menu is carefully designed to highlight the landscape the train trundles through, and highlights included Alberta strip loin steak and Lois Lake steelhead. Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2023 An unhelpful comparison: At the same age, Messi was still trundling about with Barcelona’s third team. Rory Smith, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023 Leading larvae will start to tap, and the rest of the pack will tap—and then everyone will trundle onward. Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
Noun
Better Homes & Gardens Grayson Daybed and Trundle Another piece that has lots of different purposes is the Grayson daybed (82.5 x 40.5 x 38 inches) and trundle (75 x 40 x 11 inches). Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2024 This economic mandate is clear to the naked eye: Trucks laden with fertilizer or diesel trundle down arrow-straight roads past square field after square field, each one dense with tomato shrubs or nut trees. Jake Bittle, WIRED, 6 Jan. 2024 Keep in Mind The trundle portion feels a bit wobbly. Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2023 Or maybe its expansion is just a steady, ominous trundle toward a long-distant nothingness. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 30 June 2023 The trundle beds come from Tasha Beds; the bed cushions, from Neptune. Kate McGregor, ELLE Decor, 20 Jan. 2023 Every summer in northwest India, as hot winds sweep up from the deserts of Rajasthan, trains packed with students from the countryside trundle into Kota, a small city dense with clusters of test-prep centers. Zishaan A Latif Mansi Choksi, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2023 The 7-inch height is low enough to fit into bunk beds or trundle beds, but it can also be used in a regular bed frame. Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping, 22 Dec. 2022 Remote work has already affected Manhattan’s texture and routines — even its smells, as the once crowded and aromatic lunch carts of midtown trundle off to hungrier pastures. Curbed, 10 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trundle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

from trundle small wheel, alteration of earlier trendle, from Middle English, circle, ring, wheel, from Old English trendel; akin to Old English trendan to revolve — more at trend entry 2

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trundle was circa 1598

Dictionary Entries Near trundle

Cite this Entry

“Trundle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trundle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trundle

verb
trun·​dle
ˈtrən-dᵊl
trundled; trundling
ˈtrən-dliŋ,
-dᵊl-iŋ
1
: to transport in or as if in a wheeled vehicle : haul
trundled her off to school
2
: to move on or as if on wheels
buses trundling through the city

More from Merriam-Webster on trundle

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