tumble

1 of 2

verb

tum·​ble ˈtəm-bəl 

tumbled; tumbling ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fall suddenly and helplessly

b

: to suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat

c

: to decline suddenly and sharply (as in price) : drop

the stock market tumbled

d

: to fall into ruin : collapse

2

a

: to perform gymnastic feats in tumbling

b

: to turn end over end in falling or flight

3

: to roll over and over, to and fro, or end over end : toss

4

: to issue forth hurriedly and confusedly

5

: to come by chance : stumble

6

British, informal : to come to understand : catch on

didn't tumble to the seriousness of the problem

transitive verb

1

: to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)

2

a

: to throw together in a confused mass

b

: rumple, disorder

3

: to whirl in a tumbling barrel

tumble

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a disordered mass of objects or material

b

: a disorderly state

2

: an act or instance of tumbling

Synonyms of tumble

Verb

• fall
• stumble
• trip
• slip
• topple

Noun

• jumble
• medley
• assortment
• variety
• collage
• scramble
• shuffle

Examples of tumble in a Sentence

Verb

He tripped and tumbled to the ground.

The statue came tumbling down during the riots.

The satellite was tumbling out of control.

She slipped and tumbled down the hill.

Everyone came tumbling out of the bar at closing time.

He tumbled into bed and fell asleep.

Water tumbled over the rocks.

Noun

cleaned a crazy tumble of buttons, hair bands, loose change, and old candy wrappers out from the couch cushions

took a little tumble on the ice

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Furthermore, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index retreated significantly from the record high set in the previous session, tumbling nearly 8% overnight to mark its largest single-day loss since June 5. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

On top of torrential monsoon rains over the last few weeks, sources interviewed by CNN suspect that an earthquake may be responsible for shearing off a chunk of glacier, which tumbled into a river valley, displacing Biblical volumes of water. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026

Noun

While Wyatt goes into the rough-and-tumble town of Tombstone, the Clantons murder his brother James. — David Faris, TheWeek, 21 Aug. 2026

Grayson, which lost to North Gwinnett 37-22 last week after trailing 37-0 in third quarter, took the biggest tumble. — Chip Saye, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, frequentative of tumben to dance, from Old English tumbian; akin to Old High German tūmōn to reel

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tumble

• rough-and-tumble
• take a tumble
• tumble dry
• tumble to

Rhymes for tumble

• bumble
• crumble
• fumble
• grumble
• humble
• jumble
• mumble
• rumble
• stumble
• umbel

Kids Definition

tumble

1 of 2 verb

tum·​ble ˈtəm-bəl 

tumbled; tumbling -b(ə-)liŋ 

1

a

: to perform gymnastic feats of rolling and turning

b

: to turn end over end in falling or in flight

the satellite was tumbling out of control

2

a

: to fall suddenly and helplessly

b

: to suffer a sudden downward turn or defeat

3

: to move or go in a hurried or confused way

everyone came tumbling out at closing time

4

: to come to understand

I thought you'd tumble to what I meant

5

: to toss about or together into a confused mass

tumble the ingredients lightly

tumble

2 of 2 noun

1

: a messy state or collection

2

: an act or instance of tumbling