tumbles 1 of 2

plural of tumble
1
2
as in falls
the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily took a little tumble on the ice

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

tumbles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of tumble
1
as in stumbles
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily the infant stood for a moment and then tumbled on the carpet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tumbles
Noun
Some drives are rated as drop-proof (HDDs are more vulnerable to tumbles than SSDs), shock-proof, or crush-proof; an ingress protection (IP) rating denotes protection from dust, dirt, and water. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 After the cannon booms shatters these boxes, the ensemble tumbles together in a finale worthy of Tchaikovsky. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Moments before a winner was declared, Eckert concluded her reign with two accidental tumbles on stage, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd. — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 This highly competent, obsessive duo tumbles into a self-destructive cat-and-mouse dynamic — but who’s the cat and who’s the mouse? — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026 Topline OpenAI is now leaning toward delaying its public debut from later this year to next year, unnamed sources told The New York Times, as Elon Musk’s SpaceX stock tumbles after its record IPO and the public tech market slumps more broadly. — Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Florida’s highest waterfall tumbles down a verdant, 100-foot-deep sinkhole. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026 The firm is maintaining its 2026 oil price forecast at $100 per barrel for Brent, even as the global benchmark tumbles below $80 per barrel for the first time since March. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 16 June 2026 The tumbles and trust falls might start to scare you, but this is hardly these clowns’ first rodeo. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026
Verb
From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026 Front load washers are built with a horizontal drum that tumbles the clothes in each cycle. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026 Kris tumbles, scrambles up, and, in the movie’s best throwaway, apologizes to the advancing killer. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 10 Aug. 2026 The glowing ribbon of the Milky Way tumbles directly through this cosmic triangle before arcing towards the southern horizon, though its diffuse light will be hidden behind a veil of moonlight on the night of the full moon. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 July 2026 Then the wisdom tumbles like Milk Duds fresh from the concessionaire. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026 At the same time, Dangerous Woman, one of Grande's earliest releases, tumbles down the roster. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 The flagellar bundle falls apart, and the cell tumbles. — Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026 Frothy water tumbles over sandstone and rock, creating challenging rapids with ominous names like Dragon's Tooth and Hell's Gate. — Joie Probst, Midwest Living, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumbles
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • When the time expires, the wrestler with the most falls will be declared the winner.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Despite its increasing normalcy, extreme heat can take hikers by surprise, leading to dehydration, heat stroke and exhaustion, which in turn can contribute to falls.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Rather than simply detecting physical obstacles, the system distinguishes between different types of messes and household objects to optimize cleaning strategies.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Some messes don’t respond to a gentle approach, and there are times when cranking the temperature is exactly the right call.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • An irresolvable knot of wickedness who acts on impulse and has seemingly no capacity for empathy, Cathy stumbles into the heart of the Trask family’s jealousy and ambition.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But here, too, Wladyka stumbles, opting for a comforting but pat ending about how dance and art enliven so many lives.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The film plunges James deep into the wilds with his retired military dog Odin after their small plan crash lands during a camping trip.
    — Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
  • If that happens, an energy crisis that plunges the world into recession is not far off.
    — RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Supporters say changing the clocks disrupts sleep, increases workplace injuries and contributes to more road accidents.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • These numbers complicate the picture of a state workforce unhappy with a new policy that some workers say disrupts their daily lives and question if returning to the office could bring health risks, longer commutes, lost time and higher gas costs.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Emmanuel Marre | Belgium | 155 min Cannes Best Screenplay winner A MAN OF HIS TIME stars ANATOMY OF A FALL’s Swann Arlaud as a Vichy civil servant whose faith in government collapses amid collaboration, bureaucracy, and moral surrender.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Single-pressing the button collapses the view to show only the arrow and distance to the next turn, while double-pressing the button expands the view to show a map with the full route across the bottom half of the display.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • After that, new products and assortments will be locally designed, developed and even manufactured in China.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Burlington has also taken steps to reduce its weather sensitivity, including strengthening its home products assortments.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumbles. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster