trundle

verb trun·dle \ ˈtrən-dᵊl \

Definition of trundle

trundled; trundling play \ˈtrən(d)-liŋ, ˈtrən-dᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 a :to propel by causing to rotate :roll

a … child who was trundling a hoop
—Charles 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

play \ˈtrən(d)-lər, ˈtrən-dᵊl-ər\ noun

See trundle defined for English-language learners

See trundle defined for kids

Examples of trundle in a Sentence

She trundled her suitcase into the room.
The children trundled off to bed.

Recent Examples of trundle from the Web

The streetcar is one of New Orleans' most recognizable cultural icons, trundling along slowly down the city's streets.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Have you seen a streetcar get into an accident? Here's how often it happens," 13 July 2017
In a few minutes, the three traffic dodgers — Lou DiPaolo, 24, of Dumont, N.J.; Anne Songcayauon, 23, of New Milford, N.J.; and James Rosenstein, 26, of South Orange, N.J. — trundled down Bunn Road and added more signs to the overpass display.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "At U.S. Women's Open, Trump protesters persist," 13 July 2017
The van slowly trundles forward and eventually stops in front of me.

— sebastian anthony, Ars Technica, "The first self-driving grocery delivery van," 4 July 2017
This means that the mushroom sprung from the ground when dinosaurs still trundled across the Earth.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "This 115-Million-Year-Old Mushroom Is the Oldest Fossilized Fungus," 9 June 2017
With the drivers trundling behind the safety car, Marcus Ericsson somehow crashed his Sauber and McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne imitated him moments later.

— jerome pugmire, chicagotribune.com, "Sebastian Vettel wins Monaco GP ahead of Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen," 28 May 2017
On undulating farmland, the cooks, veiled in wood smoke, tended their creations while Duroc and Berkshire pigs trundled freely in the surrounding woods.

— jim shahin, sacbee.com, "This is the future of barbecue: No regions, no rules, lots of innovation," 23 May 2017
As camera phone-toting locals looked on, the historic Zeynel Bey Mausoleum trundled to its new home in Hasankeyf, Turkey on May 12.

— rachel brown, National Geographic, "This Medieval Tomb Weighs 1,100 Tons. Watch Workers Move it On Wheels," 23 May 2017
With the nation trundling toward civil war, slavery inevitably had been an issue at the territory’s constitutional convention.

— OregonLive.com, "Floods! Corruption! Radicals! PERS! The most momentous Oregon historical event of every decade," 17 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trundle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of trundle

²trundle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1598

See Words from the same year

trundle

noun

Definition of trundle

1 :the motion or sound of something rolling

2 :trundle bed

3 :a round or oval wooden tub

Recent Examples of trundle from the Web

Visitors to the preserve trundle along a wobbly wooden boardwalk, where they are welcomed by a breathtaking view of a serene, blue lake framed by stands of native flora: swamp loosestrife, pickerel weed, lotus flowers, swamp milkweed and buttonbush.

— james f. mccarty, cleveland.com, "Geauga County's Snow Lake Preserve is environmental keystone of Cuyahoga Wetlands: (photos, videos)," 6 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of trundle

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 ²trend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1611

See Words from the same year