tumble (upon)

verb

Definition of tumble (upon)next
as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance while we were out on a drive in the country, we tumbled upon a farm stand selling the best peaches I've ever tasted

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumble (upon)
  1. find
  2. encounter
  3. meet
  4. come across
Verb
  • The National Transportation Safety Board found that the left engine detached from the plane and caught fire, the USA TODAY Network previously reported.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Bridgespan’s report finds that families in middle-income countries are more likely to administer their own programs than those in higher-income countries.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • Most of them joke about seeing smiley faces in public, like one user who encountered Verity on a truck bed.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Wendy Doremus first encountered Biggart through a cousin in the late 1960s.
    — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of encounter
Verb
  • In order to meet 2026’s nostalgia quota, here’s a 28-years-later followup to the cult flop about margarita-loving sister witches starring Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2026
  • The league’s involvement with Highmark or any club is ensuring that all fields meet compliance before NFL use, right?
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of meet
Verb
  • Lead vocalist Jacob Bannon came across the phenomenon when researching his own tinnitus and reimagined it as a culmination of all the pain and suffering in human existence.
    — Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026
  • So Veena’s mother turned to the internet, came across a blog post about Real Love and spoke to the woman who wrote it, a mother whose son had been suicidal.
    — Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Definition of come across
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tumble (to)
tumble (upon)
tumbling
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Cite this Entry

“Tumble (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumble%20%28upon%29. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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