tumbledown

adjective

tum·​ble·​down ˈtəm-bəl-ˈdau̇n How to pronounce tumbledown (audio)
: dilapidated, ramshackle
a tumbledown house at the edge of townSherwood Anderson

Examples of tumbledown in a Sentence

lived alone on a tumbledown farm that had seen better days
Recent Examples on the Web All except a few dozen hardy souls who formed the historical society and began patching the scars of this tumbledown town. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024 The project is in a tumbledown section of Oildale, situated between an optical lens store and aquatic pet shop. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The pictures within chronicle a turbulent half decade in the lives of Billingham’s family members, who reside in a tumbledown tower-block apartment in the town of Cradley Heath. Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024 For much of recent history, intimate private colleges and universities have thrived here, as much a part of the region’s identity as tumbledown stone walls and scenic coastlines, the local highways bristling with signs signaling that another quintessential New England campus is just an exit away. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for tumbledown 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tumbledown was in 1818

Dictionary Entries Near tumbledown

Cite this Entry

“Tumbledown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumbledown. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

tumbledown

adjective
tum·​ble·​down ˌtəm-bəl-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce tumbledown (audio)
: dilapidated
a tumbledown shack
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