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 Giants clinched the National League West on the final day of the regular season in 2010 before toppling the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Rangers.
—
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2025
There was one instance of vandals toppling monuments.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
For the next few days, the hurricane center said Melissa will be steaming in hotter-than-usual waters in the Caribbean, fueling the storm’s growth, but also battling a significant amount of storm-toppling wind shear.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Second, the flowing glacier brings more ice forward to replace what breaks off, slowing the cliff’s inland retreat and making a chain reaction of cliff toppling less likely.
—Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
Likewise, in 2022, youth protesters in Sri Lanka also succeeded in toppling the ruling regime.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
The group has grown from 35 member organizations to 75 in the four and a half years since statue-toppling gripped America.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Once inside, Schubert moved through the building, toppling county flags in the rotunda and setting the Columbia County flag on fire with lighter fluid, Heck said, according to the.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Place them within baskets and add a few rocks to prevent them from toppling over.
—Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2025
There was one instance of vandals toppling monuments.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
For the next few days, the hurricane center said Melissa will be steaming in hotter-than-usual waters in the Caribbean, fueling the storm’s growth, but also battling a significant amount of storm-toppling wind shear.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
Second, the flowing glacier brings more ice forward to replace what breaks off, slowing the cliff’s inland retreat and making a chain reaction of cliff toppling less likely.
—Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
Likewise, in 2022, youth protesters in Sri Lanka also succeeded in toppling the ruling regime.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
The group has grown from 35 member organizations to 75 in the four and a half years since statue-toppling gripped America.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Once inside, Schubert moved through the building, toppling county flags in the rotunda and setting the Columbia County flag on fire with lighter fluid, Heck said, according to the.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Place them within baskets and add a few rocks to prevent them from toppling over.
—Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toppling
Verb
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Yet in practice, America is now collecting billions from importers, much of it falling on carbon-intensive goods and places.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Seven years of stumbling around.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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After stumbling into a massive camp full of refugees from Nilfgaard’s ongoing campaign, Geralt winds up witness to a witch trial.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Opponents won't be tripping over themselves to help the Cardinals shed cash.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
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This and that ▪ Dolphins rookie running back Ollie Gordon II was contrite about lashing out at running backs coach Eric Studesville in a heated exchange after Gordon was called for a tripping penalty against Baltimore.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The program’s pulse felt faint, its identity slipping further with each loss.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The Buffs dropped their third game in a row at Milan Puskar Stadium, falling 29-22 against the Mountaineers and slipping to 3-7 on a lost season.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His true self comes tumbling out in between every lie, and that’s because Macfadyen makes sure of it.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
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Each match consists of three rounds of competition, with rounds one and two featuring cheerleading skills including stunts, basket tosses, and tumbling in head-to-head, bracket-style rounds.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toppling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toppling. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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