rumbled; rumbling
ˈrəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to make a low heavy rolling sound
thunder rumbling in the distance
2
: to travel with a low reverberating sound
wagons rumbled into town
3
: to speak in a low rolling tone
4
: to engage in a rumble
1
: to utter or emit in a low rolling voice
2
British
: to reveal or discover the true character of
1
a
: a low heavy continuous reverberating often muffled sound (as of thunder)
b
: low frequency noise in phonographic playback caused by the transmission of mechanical vibrations by the turntable to the pickup
2
: a seat for servants behind the body of a carriage
3
a
: widespread expression of dissatisfaction or unrest
b
: a street fight especially among gangs
Synonyms
Examples of rumble in a Sentence
Verb
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
The train rumbles through town twice a day.
We watched as the trucks rumbled past.
The gangs rumbled in the alley.
Noun
I was awakened by the rumble of a train passing by.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2024
Every day, empty logging trucks rumble into Puerto Lucerna, a small outpost on Peru’s Las Piedras River, which snakes through the lush Amazon rain forest.
—Allison Keeley, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
Trucks capable of turning, merging, and cruising on their own (with the supervision of a driver) already rumble along North Texas freeways.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Dump trucks rumble throughout the small city, including in front of the 160-year-old City Hall, where jackhammers and excavators claw at the pavement, following plans to green the adjacent plaza with trees and benches.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The big rocket, standing nearly 179 feet (54.5 meters) tall, rumbled off the Vostochny launch pad at 5:00 a.m. ET this morning, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.
—George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
The ground rumbled Friday beneath New York City, home to famous skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
When the ground began to rumble in Taipei on Wednesday morning, an anchor at the SET News channel was standing in front of a camera in the middle of a broadcast.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Severe thunderstorms typically rumble to life later in the afternoon in the southern US, after the daytime heat reaches its peak, driven by a largely cloud-free sky.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The first quake was alarming enough — a rumble more powerful than anything felt in Taiwan for a quarter-century, lasting for more than a minute on Wednesday morning, knocking belongings and even whole buildings askew.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Besides bird chirps, owl hoots and racoons searching for food, the rumble of car engines firing up as campers head home may be strangely absent.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
The rumbles dragged on for over a year, with more than 17,000 recorded in the first week of March alone.
—Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024
Confidence: Medium Showers, rain and some rumbles are possible Monday and Tuesday, along with breeziness.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Miami will feel the low frequency rumble of thundering techno — and perhaps some forecast thunderstorms — as the masses descend on Bayfront Park in downtown Miami to see and hear hundreds of DJs crank up the beats for the 24th annual Ultra Music Festival.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Hearing the rumble of Dre’s flow — then-fresh to a solo career after leaving N.W.A — paired with Snoop’s new school slither for the first time was breathtaking.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
By Wednesday, the storm system will bring heavy rain, strong winds and perhaps a few rumbles of thunder to the East Coast, including the I-95 corridor.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
The crowd leapt to their feet and the applause rumbled in the rafters.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2024
Every day, empty logging trucks rumble into Puerto Lucerna, a small outpost on Peru’s Las Piedras River, which snakes through the lush Amazon rain forest.
—Allison Keeley, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
Trucks capable of turning, merging, and cruising on their own (with the supervision of a driver) already rumble along North Texas freeways.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Dump trucks rumble throughout the small city, including in front of the 160-year-old City Hall, where jackhammers and excavators claw at the pavement, following plans to green the adjacent plaza with trees and benches.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The big rocket, standing nearly 179 feet (54.5 meters) tall, rumbled off the Vostochny launch pad at 5:00 a.m. ET this morning, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.
—George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
The ground rumbled Friday beneath New York City, home to famous skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
When the ground began to rumble in Taipei on Wednesday morning, an anchor at the SET News channel was standing in front of a camera in the middle of a broadcast.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Severe thunderstorms typically rumble to life later in the afternoon in the southern US, after the daytime heat reaches its peak, driven by a largely cloud-free sky.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Rounds of heavy rain and the occasional rumble of thunder will affect the Great Lakes, interior northeast and the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston from Thursday night into Friday.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The first quake was alarming enough — a rumble more powerful than anything felt in Taiwan for a quarter-century, lasting for more than a minute on Wednesday morning, knocking belongings and even whole buildings askew.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Besides bird chirps, owl hoots and racoons searching for food, the rumble of car engines firing up as campers head home may be strangely absent.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
The rumbles dragged on for over a year, with more than 17,000 recorded in the first week of March alone.
—Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024
Confidence: Medium Showers, rain and some rumbles are possible Monday and Tuesday, along with breeziness.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Miami will feel the low frequency rumble of thundering techno — and perhaps some forecast thunderstorms — as the masses descend on Bayfront Park in downtown Miami to see and hear hundreds of DJs crank up the beats for the 24th annual Ultra Music Festival.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Hearing the rumble of Dre’s flow — then-fresh to a solo career after leaving N.W.A — paired with Snoop’s new school slither for the first time was breathtaking.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
By Wednesday, the storm system will bring heavy rain, strong winds and perhaps a few rumbles of thunder to the East Coast, including the I-95 corridor.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rumble
Cite this Entry
“Rumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rumble. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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