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
Relevance
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
Adell had just stolen a home run, tumbling over the waist-high wall near the right-field foul pole, which frames the left side of the photo.
—
Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Derek Hill singled and scored on Meidroth's double, a liner to left that landed in front of a tumbling Ward.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
In the final battle against Papa Bowser and his progeny, Mario and Peach leap over the giant King Koopa on the lava bridge and send him tumbling into the molten river below.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
Indeed, Brent crude oil prices are still above $100 a barrel after tumbling 10% Monday.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumbling
Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Derek Hill singled and scored on Meidroth's double, a liner to left that landed in front of a tumbling Ward.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
In the final battle against Papa Bowser and his progeny, Mario and Peach leap over the giant King Koopa on the lava bridge and send him tumbling into the molten river below.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
Indeed, Brent crude oil prices are still above $100 a barrel after tumbling 10% Monday.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumbling
Verb
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By 2025, Anderson — then 59 and nearing completion of her bachelor’s degree — was failing classes and falling behind on bills.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) says lead paint is falling from six Baltimore-area bridges and contaminating waterways.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump’s move to shutter the building for two years starting in July, which was approved by the board last month, has spurred lawsuits and an outcry that the closure is merely a response to plunging sales as artists canceled Kennedy Center performances in droves.—
Steven Sloan,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
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In February, a mix of snow and road salt seeped into underground electrical equipment, plunging more than 5,000 of our constituents in Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, and Bushwick into darkness.—
Shahana Hanif,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The hospitality union represents roughly 2,000 workers at the arena, potentially disrupting one of the biggest sporting events in the world.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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In such a case, if the people passing the message did not have complete control of their devices, an outsider could potentially subtly change the particles’ entanglement, disrupting the communication without leaving a trace.—
Matt von Hippel,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In September, federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology said in a statement the partial collapse of the previous tower likely began from the pool deck, which started collapsing before the rest of the building.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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The second force is collapsing barriers to entry.—
Michael Jacobides,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lina cried out, stumbling backward.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Unlike the blue plaques affixed to residences in London, which indicate where notable figures once lived, or the Stolpersteine (or stumbling stones) embedded in the sidewalks of German cities to mark the former homes of Holocaust victims, Bucharest’s red disks are not commemorative but predictive.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The shot of the sun, as it slowly and then completely disappears behind the moon, takes up the top half of the 58-foot-tall screen, while the shot of the Maine landscape, dipping from daylight to mid-day darkness and back again, sits below.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
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And, for the record, Wendy's endorses the practice of dipping salty fries into sweet Frostys.—
Bob Vitale,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Bruins are shuffling off to Buffalo.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
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The Philadelphia Phillies are shuffling up the bullpen by sending Seth Johnson back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalling Chase Shugart from the IronPigs.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 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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The Material steak knives arrived sharp, slicing through a piece of paper rather than crumpling its edge.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumbling. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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