TUMBLING Synonyms: 165 Similar and Opposite Words

tumbling

verb

Definition of tumbling

present participle of tumble

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

as in plunging

to go to a lower level especially abruptly stock prices tumbled after the earnings report was released

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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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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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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 tumbling But the stock has underperformed the group, with shares tumbling this year even as peers reach new records. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 There was a sense that only significant deals could stave off the double threat of the Austrian’s outbursts over transfers destabilising the team midway through the campaign and Palace tumbling into a relegation battle. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Ring Leaper was also able to clear a pair of tiny hurdles, even after slightly tumbling over the first one. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026 Their cheap convenience and ubiquity in restaurant service is a big reason any person with a food or food-adjacent job (including just about everybody who works at this magazine) has a collection of these tumbling around in their cabinets. — Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026 The spacecraft started tumbling uncontrolled after launch, forcing NASA to abandon the mission. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026 The camera panned to team members, in their signature red and white, tumbling through the audience and onto the stage. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 In June, three people died after losing control of their vehicle and tumbling 400 feet off an embankment in the Santa Cruz Mountains. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 People come to hike among sandstone caves and chase waterfalls tumbling peacefully into blue-green pools. — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 9 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumbling

Verb

In 2008, a fake story online about Jobs’ death sent Apple stock (AAPL) falling 9%.

— Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
City officials said on Instagram that city crews have removed electrical lines mounted to nearby palm trees that are at risk of falling.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of falling

Verb

Sydney Sweeney walked the red carpet in a completely sheer dress, while Brittany Snow turned heads in a black dress with a plunging neckline.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
It’s set on a remote farm nestled high in the Rocky Mountains in the early 1950s, and the images — of jutting peaks and plunging valleys, of endless stretches of pine, of the craggy frosted grandeur of it all — are vivid enough to carry you away.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of plunging

Verb

And an unprecedented immigration crackdown is disrupting the labor supply in agriculture, construction, hospitality and food processing, raising prices even further.

— Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, prompting flight cancellations at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and disrupting flights at other airports.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of disrupting

Verb

The family’s attorney says Mayich struggled through a military-style practice with little rest or water, showing clear distress before collapsing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Rodríguez Verona said survivors were disoriented and dehydrated, with many collapsing or vomiting upon reaching land.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of collapsing

Verb

Unlike other festivals, where audiences can be more forgiving, stumbling out of the gate at Venice can prove impossible for a contender to recover from.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Analysis from Zeki Data shows that where OpenAI and Anthropic are making gains in the AI talent market, Google DeepMind (and to some extent Meta) are stumbling.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

All four celebs started dipping their toes into fall fashion early this year, reaching for fisherman, funnel-neck, and crewneck sweaters while traveling, sipping coffee, and cooking with Ina Garten.

— Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Customers can also choose from three other dipping sauces – honey mustard, buffalo and sweet & sour – all of which were improved, too, the company said.

— Mike Snider, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of dipping

Verb

The bull riders—including the current champion, 20-year-old John Crimber—stand with their cowboy hat over their heart, boots shuffling nervously in the dirt.

— Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
There must have been a hundred of us there, circling the truck, clambering onto its hood, shuffling and shimmying and twerking with abandon.

— Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Verb

Euphoric players cavorting in disbelief, long-suffering fans crumpling to their knees in tears, commentators’ voices cracking at the drama of it all.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
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