as in falling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily
the tower of blocks toppled even though I bumped into it ever so slightly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of toppling
Such toppling energy may be necessary for Ionesco’s vision to spontaneously ignite into antic life.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Dash camera video from inside the truck shows the moment of impact and appears to show the truck toppling onto its side.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Coach Scott Bemand turned his attention to toppling France in France for the first time next Saturday.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The results showed that seventy-nine percent support some form of intervention, with some favoring toppling the regime and others wanting to deal with the humanitarian crisis, highlighting a range of priorities within the community.
—Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Whether that victory translates to an incumbent-toppling result in June remains to be seen.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
The metal supports keep the stems tight to the base of the plant, so when the flower heads get to their heaviest, the peony still retains a tight, bouquet shape without toppling over.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2026
One of the horses tripped over a curb and fell over, toppling over its rider before running off.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Dash camera video from inside the truck shows the moment of impact and appears to show the truck toppling onto its side.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Coach Scott Bemand turned his attention to toppling France in France for the first time next Saturday.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The results showed that seventy-nine percent support some form of intervention, with some favoring toppling the regime and others wanting to deal with the humanitarian crisis, highlighting a range of priorities within the community.
—Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Whether that victory translates to an incumbent-toppling result in June remains to be seen.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
The metal supports keep the stems tight to the base of the plant, so when the flower heads get to their heaviest, the peony still retains a tight, bouquet shape without toppling over.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2026
One of the horses tripped over a curb and fell over, toppling over its rider before running off.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toppling
Verb
-
Oakland's housing market is seeing some of the steepest price declines in the country, with home values falling sharply as sellers, buyers and real estate agents navigate a difficult market.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
Despite this spark of hope, by his teens, Ian’s dreams of becoming a soccer player are falling apart as rejection, oppression and his own internal rage take their toll.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
America is building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence but stumbling badly in applying it.—
Drew Cukor,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
His attorney claims Hall broke her leg on her own after tripping on her dog.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Here’s hoping Elordi prioritizes his rest and relaxation in lieu of tripping the light fantastic on the Cannes red carpet.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Each of them is slipping behind.—
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
Stock futures are slipping before the bell after a positive session yesterday.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The resulting brawl saw the alligator rapidly tumbling at the officers like a log rolling down hill.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
-
Even then, Toyota never had the outright pace of BMW, with the #8 Toyota eventually tumbling out of the top 10 after two stops on consecutive laps.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toppling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toppling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
