as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
lived alone on a tumbledown farm that had seen better days
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Recent Examples of tumbledown
All except a few dozen hardy souls who formed the historical society and began patching the scars of this tumbledown town.
—
Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
The project is in a tumbledown section of Oildale, situated between an optical lens store and aquatic pet shop.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The pictures within chronicle a turbulent half decade in the lives of Billingham’s family members, who reside in a tumbledown tower-block apartment in the town of Cradley Heath.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024
For much of recent history, intimate private colleges and universities have thrived here, as much a part of the region’s identity as tumbledown stone walls and scenic coastlines, the local highways bristling with signs signaling that another quintessential New England campus is just an exit away.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for tumbledown
Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
The project is in a tumbledown section of Oildale, situated between an optical lens store and aquatic pet shop.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The pictures within chronicle a turbulent half decade in the lives of Billingham’s family members, who reside in a tumbledown tower-block apartment in the town of Cradley Heath.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024
For much of recent history, intimate private colleges and universities have thrived here, as much a part of the region’s identity as tumbledown stone walls and scenic coastlines, the local highways bristling with signs signaling that another quintessential New England campus is just an exit away.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for tumbledown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumbledown
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Saiz Bilbao arrived at a dilapidated building still under construction, its entrance via a seemingly endless stretch of stairs that led to a window-less hostel.—
Georgiana Ralphs,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Now, charred and dilapidated buildings dot the small city center.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Few sights are as heart-wrenching as a neglected animal in need.—
Allison Moses,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Those plans were later abandoned during the pandemic and the house joined Denver’s neglected and derelict building list in 2024.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tumbledown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumbledown. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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