tumble

1 of 2

verb

tum·​ble ˈtəm-bəl How to pronounce tumble (audio)
tumbled; tumbling ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce tumble (audio)

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
: 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
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
That energy focus has been weighing on GGN, since oil has been tumbling with stocks as of late. Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025 Spotify shares tumbled after its Q1 numbers and 2025 forecasts with the stock down a hefty 9% mid-morning. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
Barclays shares took a steep tumble as the White House kicked off its trade war on April 2, but recovered thereafter and remain up more than 10% in the year to date — in sharp contrast to Swiss giant UBS, whose U.S. foothold and domestic concerns have led to a hemorrhage in stock value. Jenni Reid,ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025 With 2:57 to go, Josh Hart took a vicious tumble and Jalen Brunson hurt his right ankle. Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tumble

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tumble was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumble. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

tumble

1 of 2 verb
tum·​ble ˈtəm-bəl How to pronounce tumble (audio)
tumbled; tumbling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce tumble (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on tumble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!