tumble

1 of 2

verb

tum·​ble ˈtəm-bəl 

tumbled; tumbling ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fall suddenly and helplessly

b

: to suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat

c

: to decline suddenly and sharply (as in price) : drop

the stock market tumbled

d

: to fall into ruin : collapse

2

a

: to perform gymnastic feats in tumbling

b

: to turn end over end in falling or flight

3

: to roll over and over, to and fro, or end over end : toss

4

: to issue forth hurriedly and confusedly

5

: to come by chance : stumble

6

: to come to understand : catch on

didn't tumble to the seriousness of the problem

transitive verb

1

: to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)

2

a

: to throw together in a confused mass

b

: rumple, disorder

3

: to whirl in a tumbling barrel

tumble

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a disordered mass of objects or material

b

: a disorderly state

2

: an act or instance of tumbling

Synonyms

Verb

• fall
• slip
• stumble
• topple
• trip

Noun

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• variety
• welter

Examples of tumble in a Sentence

Verb

He tripped and tumbled to the ground.

The statue came tumbling down during the riots.

The satellite was tumbling out of control.

She slipped and tumbled down the hill.

Everyone came tumbling out of the bar at closing time.

He tumbled into bed and fell asleep.

Water tumbled over the rocks.

Noun

cleaned a crazy tumble of buttons, hair bands, loose change, and old candy wrappers out from the couch cushions

took a little tumble on the ice

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Sharp tumbles for oil prices lessened investors’ worries about inflation, which in turn helped Treasury yields ease. —Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024

By Samantha Murphy Kelly | CNN Apple’s smartphone sales tumbled a stunning 10% last quarter, according to market research firm IDC. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

Property slump China’s yearslong property slump shows no signs of abating, as quarterly new-home sales tumbled by 30.7% year on year. —Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 16 Apr. 2024

Trump Media & Technology Group — which trades under the ticker DJT, his initials — tumbled 18.4% in Monday trading, a drop that follows last week's 21% plunge. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024

Stock prices tumbled Wednesday as traders tried to judge how the latest inflation report might offer some clues to the path of future rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. —Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 10 Apr. 2024

Trump’s net worth has tumbled by $2 billion since Truth Social stock peaked last month Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group continue to rapidly fall back to Earth, reports my colleague Matt Egan. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Keep in mind, these cloths should be air dried instead of tumbled, which may add an additional step to your laundry routine. —Jenna Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2024

Eleven rate hikes by the Fed have helped send inflation tumbling from its peak over the past year and a half. —Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024

Noun

How to clean your tumble dryer Cleaning your dryer is obviously a chore. —USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024

History shows 21 percent losing periods but an average gain of 61 percent — ranging from a 24 percent tumble through 2012 to a 214 percent upswing through 2005. —Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024

After the recent temperature tumble and a couple of cold days, record warmth roars back for millions east of the Rocky Mountains beginning Friday and lasting through the weekend. —Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024

But voters are approaching this year's election with misgivings about Mr. Biden's age, having scrutinized his gaffes, his coughing, his slow walking and even a tumble off his bicycle. —CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024

Those gains helped to offset an 11.5% tumble for FMC, whose products help protect crops. —Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 6 Feb. 2024

First, phone manufacturers have been working to make phones stronger, given the number of tumbles our mobile devices take, from much shorter distances. —USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024

Peregrine's control thrusters are struggling to keep the lander from an uncontrollable tumble, Astrobotic said. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2024

Yes, California home prices in 2023 didn’t follow the purchasing pace’s tumble into the abyss. —Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, frequentative of tumben to dance, from Old English tumbian; akin to Old High German tūmōn to reel

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tumble

• rough-and-tumble
• take a tumble
• tumble dry
• tumble to

Kids Definition

tumble

1 of 2 verb

tum·​ble ˈtəm-bəl 

tumbled; tumbling -b(ə-)liŋ 

1

a

: to perform gymnastic feats of rolling and turning

b

: to turn end over end in falling or in flight

the satellite was tumbling out of control

2

a

: to fall suddenly and helplessly

b

: to suffer a sudden downward turn or defeat

3

: to move or go in a hurried or confused way

everyone came tumbling out at closing time

4

: to come to understand

I thought you'd tumble to what I meant

5

: to toss about or together into a confused mass

tumble the ingredients lightly

tumble

2 of 2 noun

1

: a messy state or collection

2

: an act or instance of tumbling