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
  • From his emergence in the mid-1950s until his passing in 2018, Taylor not only disassembled jazz and reconstructed it in his own style, but also found ways to make the world listen.
    — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Police previously said investigators found no evidence of an actual plan to carry out violence at the school.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • Employees may need mental-health or substance-use support but encounter barriers when trying to locate an appropriate provider.
    — Soniya Bopache, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The version using incorrect memory repeatedly encountered the same obstacle and never completed the journey.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of encounter
Verb
  • The couple met in 2018 through a Mormon dating app and tied the knot the next year, before welcoming their first child, Nora, in November 2021.
    — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Whether you’re headed to a Saturday tailgate, taking a leaf-peeping nature walk, or just meeting friends for dinner, there’s something for everyone.
    — Kate Donovan, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 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 9 Nov. 2026.

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