tumbled; tumbling
ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
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
1
: to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)
3
: to whirl in a tumbling barrel
1
a
: a disordered mass of objects or material
b
: a disorderly state
2
: an act or instance of tumbling
Synonyms
Verb
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
Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
The rumbling was felt from Maine down to Philadelphia, sending books tumbling off shelves and cellphones blaring with emergency alerts warning about possible aftershocks.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
Aerial footage Wednesday night from KTLA-TV showed a gray-silver vehicle had tumbled more than 100 feet off the cliffside into the brush and rocky ravine below.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The third looks at the tumbling global birthrate and hard societal choices ahead.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
But goods prices that had been tumbling rose in February.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Dramatic video shows the moment the bridge appears to snap and then tumble into the river after the vessel strikes one of its supporting structures.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Hard freeze expected Overnight temperatures will tumble into the lower to mid-20s across much of the Kansas City area.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
There is a watchfulness to her, a sense of thoughts tumbling behind those eyes.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
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
Verb
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
The rumbling was felt from Maine down to Philadelphia, sending books tumbling off shelves and cellphones blaring with emergency alerts warning about possible aftershocks.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
Aerial footage Wednesday night from KTLA-TV showed a gray-silver vehicle had tumbled more than 100 feet off the cliffside into the brush and rocky ravine below.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The third looks at the tumbling global birthrate and hard societal choices ahead.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
But goods prices that had been tumbling rose in February.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Dramatic video shows the moment the bridge appears to snap and then tumble into the river after the vessel strikes one of its supporting structures.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Hard freeze expected Overnight temperatures will tumble into the lower to mid-20s across much of the Kansas City area.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
There is a watchfulness to her, a sense of thoughts tumbling behind those eyes.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 22 Mar. 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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tumble
Cite this Entry
“Tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumble. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: a messy state or collection
2
: an act or instance of tumbling
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