tumble
to fall helplessly down, end over end, as by losing one's footing, support, or equilibrium; plunge headlong: to tumble down the stairs.
to roll end over end, as in falling: The stones tumbled down the hill.
to fall or decline rapidly; drop: Prices on the stock market tumbled today.
to perform gymnastic feats of skill and agility, as leaps or somersaults.
to fall suddenly from a position of power or authority; suffer overthrow: As one dictator tumbles, another is rising to take his place.
to roll about by turning one way and another; pitch about; toss.
to stumble or fall (usually followed by over): to tumble over a sled.
to go, come, get, etc., in a hasty and confused way: The people tumbled out of the theater. He tumbled hurriedly into his clothes.
Informal. to understand or become aware of some fact or circumstance (often followed by to): He finally tumbled to what they were doing.
Rocketry. (of a missile) to rotate without control end over end.
to cause to fall or roll end over end; throw over or down.
to throw or toss about; cause disarray, as in handling or searching.
to put in a disordered or rumpled condition.
to throw, cast, put, send, etc., in a precipitate, hasty, or rough manner.
to cause to fall from a position of authority or power; overthrow; topple: They tumbled him from his throne.
to cause to fall or collapse in ruins: The wreckers tumbled the walls of the building.
to subject to the action of a tumbling box.
an act of tumbling or falling.
a gymnastic or acrobatic feat.
an accidental fall; spill.
a drop in value, as of stocks.
a fall from a position of power or authority: The great director took a tumble when he was replaced by a newcomer.
a response indicating interest, affection, etc.: She wouldn't give me a tumble.
tumbled condition; disorder or confusion.
a confused heap: a tumble of papers, ashes, pens, and keys on the desk.
Chiefly New England. a haycock.
Idioms about tumble
take a tumble to, Australian Slang. to come to understand.
Origin of tumble
1Other words from tumble
- un·tum·bled, adjective
Words Nearby tumble
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tumble in a sentence
The violence has once again left victims’ families with a tumble of emotions — grief, anger, confusion.
Three shootings bring District’s homicide count to 101 for year | Peter Hermann | July 12, 2021 | Washington PostAs the US economy continues to open up, the April jobs report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the boom in delivery jobs has taken a tumble.
After being hired in huge numbers, US delivery workers are losing their jobs | Michelle Cheng | May 7, 2021 | QuartzThe best ski helmets overall offer comfort, protection from the elements, and safeguarding from the unique types of impacts one might encounter when taking a tumble in the snow.
Best ski helmets: Comfortable protection for hitting the slopes | PopSci Commerce Team | March 12, 2021 | Popular-ScienceI’ve blasted through pow shots and have taken some big tumbles.
It wasn’t just the big players — customer service company Zendesk and security firm Okta also dropped Parler as a customer, furthering its tumble off the Web.
Parler is offline, but violent posts scraped by hackers will haunt users | Rachel Lerman, Nitasha Tiku | January 12, 2021 | Washington Post
At any moment, the slightest loss in concentration could see a disastrous tumble.
His youngest son, Orange Scott, was a rough-and-tumble trickster and a terrible tease.
No friend of liberty can avoid the tumble back and forth between Burke and Paine.
Mandelbaum began her climb to the top of the crime world as a peddler on the rough-and-tumble, bustling streets of New York City.
Meet 'The Queen of Thieves' Marm Mandelbaum, New York City's First Mob Boss | J. North Conway | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFlecks of frosting tumble in slow motion to light on his belly, which gently swells beneath a black sweater.
The Stacks: The True Greatness of Muhammad Ali | Peter Richmond | February 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe could hardly walk up the rickety front steps of the old tumble-down house, and his thirteen-year-old son had to help him.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler WarnerA good man mixes with the world in the rough-and-tumble, and takes his share of the dangers, and the falls, and the temptations.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordI shall be so afraid that the roof will tumble in, or somebody come down the chimney to catch me, that I shant sleep a wink.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterThe third skulker took advantage of the cessation of firing to tumble down from his perch and fly for his life.
Overland | John William De ForestI hope you will appreciate my devotion; in a tumble-down old house, near the ramparts.
Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere
British Dictionary definitions for tumble
/ (ˈtʌmbəl) /
to fall or cause to fall, esp awkwardly, precipitately, or violently
(intr usually foll by about) to roll or twist, esp in playing: the kittens tumbled about on the floor
(intr) to perform leaps, somersaults, etc
to go or move in a heedless or hasty way
(tr) to polish (gemstones) in a tumbler
(tr) to disturb, rumple, or toss around: to tumble the bedclothes
the act or an instance of tumbling
a fall or toss
an acrobatic feat, esp a somersault
a decrease in value, number, etc: stock markets have taken a tumble
a state of confusion
a confused heap or pile: a tumble of clothes
Origin of tumble
1- See also tumble to
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with tumble
see rough and tumble.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse