1
as in falling
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plunging
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
stock prices tumbled after the earnings report was released
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
tumbled all the clothes in her closet as she furiously searched for her favorite pair of jeans
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in collapsing
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure
all we need is one strong wind, and that old barn is going to tumble
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tumbling
The team spun them in rotors filled with dirt and rock to mimic falling down slopes and tumbling through sediment-laden floods.
—
ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Protect Other Bathroom Items In small bathrooms, your entire makeup stash might be an inch away from tumbling into the toilet.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2026
But it's been seven years since Lightsail 2's launch, and NASA's latest test flight of an advanced solar sail design suffered deployment glitches and ended up tumbling in space.
—Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 31 May 2026
The bodies are tumbling offstage, but the ball hasn’t moved.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumbling
ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Protect Other Bathroom Items In small bathrooms, your entire makeup stash might be an inch away from tumbling into the toilet.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2026
But it's been seven years since Lightsail 2's launch, and NASA's latest test flight of an advanced solar sail design suffered deployment glitches and ended up tumbling in space.
—Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 31 May 2026
The bodies are tumbling offstage, but the ball hasn’t moved.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumbling
Verb
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With little money and competitive standards falling, players started leaving Ghana earlier than before, and not always to go to Europe.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Video of the incident shows Backs being confronted and falling backward.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The dress featured a softly plunging, rounded neckline and a fluid, floor-grazing skirt.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
17 June 2026
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Crude oil prices moved slightly higher following the comments, changing course after plunging to their first settles below $80 yesterday.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Verb
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In the bedroom, a Noguchi Akari lantern and antique French column topped with one of Gibbon’s ceramic vessels create a moment of interest without disrupting the room’s sense of calm.—
Kristen Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
12 June 2026
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If the current Gulf War, marked by controversy over control of the Strait of Hormuz, does not end soon, the conflict may shift from attacks on the transport of oil by sea to disrupting vital potable water resources.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In recent weeks, Iran has dramatically escalated efforts to seal off its cache of near bomb-grade uranium, deliberately collapsing tunnels and booby-trapping entrances with explosive mines, according to five sources familiar with US intelligence.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Turkey has a rich history of collapsing under expectation, but that could change this summer — Yildiz is the centerpiece of an exciting, dynamic, possibly history-busting young core.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Bryan’s stumbling responses, under questioning from the legendary defense lawyer Clarence Darrow, left him humiliated.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
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The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Tuesday is expected to be just as hot, with temperatures reaching 97 degrees and overnight lows dipping to around 64.—
Angela Rodriguez,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
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Wirth suggested that efforts to offset even higher oil prices by dipping into strategic reserves could begin to lose their impact by July.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
Verb
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The model of shuffling that the new result depends on, like Bayer and Diaconis’ before it, still assumes that the cards riffle down one by one, rather than in clumps.—
John Pavlus,
Quanta Magazine,
17 June 2026
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The Calgary Flames will play their final season at Scotiabank Saddledome before shuffling into Scotia Place in 2027.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Moses Moody scored 23 points before crumpling to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury late in overtime as the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 137-131 on Monday night, extending the Mavericks' home losing streak to 12 games, their longest in 32 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Late on, with the game already won, James Garner and substitute Merlin Rohl chased Enzo Fernandez, sending him crumpling to the turf.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumbling. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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