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
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Recent Examples of toppling
The waterside trees leaned far out over the currents, almost toppling into the river, as if being pushed by the exuberant growth at their backs.
—
Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Strikes are something that had an important role in toppling the Pahlavi regime in 1979.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
The past 25 years have shown that the effects of toppling leaders are difficult to predict and that having more rather than fewer perspectives leads to better outcomes.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
But in forcibly toppling an unfriendly leader, the United States changed the rules.
—Richard Fontaine, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
Pope Leo said Venezuela must maintain its sovereignty, a day after the United States’ toppling of President Nicolás Maduro.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Operation Iraqi Freedom, despite its name, delivered precious little freedom to Iraqis precisely because the Bush Administration believed that toppling Saddam Hussein was the main event rather than the opening act.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 3 Jan. 2026
The storm system was the first since 2006 to rain on Pasadena’s Rose Parade and ended up being a real doozy — toppling a host of daily rainfall records, several of which were set during that previous storm.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
If water bottles are toppling everywhere under the kitchen cabinet, easily secure them with the Lifewit Stackable Water Bottle Organizer.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 29 Dec. 2025
Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Strikes are something that had an important role in toppling the Pahlavi regime in 1979.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
The past 25 years have shown that the effects of toppling leaders are difficult to predict and that having more rather than fewer perspectives leads to better outcomes.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
But in forcibly toppling an unfriendly leader, the United States changed the rules.
—Richard Fontaine, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
Pope Leo said Venezuela must maintain its sovereignty, a day after the United States’ toppling of President Nicolás Maduro.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Operation Iraqi Freedom, despite its name, delivered precious little freedom to Iraqis precisely because the Bush Administration believed that toppling Saddam Hussein was the main event rather than the opening act.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 3 Jan. 2026
The storm system was the first since 2006 to rain on Pasadena’s Rose Parade and ended up being a real doozy — toppling a host of daily rainfall records, several of which were set during that previous storm.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
If water bottles are toppling everywhere under the kitchen cabinet, easily secure them with the Lifewit Stackable Water Bottle Organizer.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 29 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toppling
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Shop my favorite airport looks for winter travel below, with each outfit falling at or below $100.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Packers are stumbling coming into the playoff with four straight losses, two of them via absolute giveaways.—
Hank Gola,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Government agencies and businesses that invest in this training, and that insist every critical number survives a deterministic check, will capture AI's benefits without stumbling into its blind spots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Early in the third period, Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov was checking with his stick instead of his body when he was called for tripping former Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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The police footage shows the man turning and bolting away from officers before quickly tripping over his own feet just a few steps past his car.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Use them for dusting, slipping over the head of a Swiffer to mop up a spill, or for making a sock puppet.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
13 Jan. 2026
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Many liberals are desperate for signs that Trump’s stranglehold over his base is slipping.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The footage shows Kim tumbling hard onto the snow and sliding across the halfpipe.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Spencer Jones blocked Joel Embiid's tip-in attempt, tumbling over Edgecombe.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toppling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toppling. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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