rumble

[ ruhm-buhl ]

/ ˈrʌm bəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rumble ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), rum·bled, rum·bling.

to make a deep, heavy, somewhat muffled, continuous sound, as thunder.

to move or travel with such a sound: The train rumbled on.

Slang. to have or take part in a street fight between or among teenage gangs: Rival gangs rumbled on Saturday afternoon.

verb (used with object), rum·bled, rum·bling.

to give forth or utter with a rumbling sound: to rumble a command.

to cause to make or move with a rumbling sound: to rumble a wagon over the ground.

to subject to the action of a rumble or tumbling box, as for the purpose of polishing.

noun

a deep, heavy, somewhat muffled, continuous sound: the rumble of tanks across a bridge.

rumble seat.

a rear part of a carriage containing seating accommodations, as for servants, or space for baggage.

a tumbling box.

Slang. a street fight between rival teenage gangs.

Words nearby rumble

rumaki, rumal, rumania, rumanian, rumba, rumble, rumble seat, rumble strip, rumbling, rumbly, rumbustious

Origin of rumble

1325–75; 1940–45 for def 3; (v.) Middle English romblen, rumblen; compare Dutch rommelen, probably of imitative orig.; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR rumble

1 roar, thunder, roll, boom.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rumble ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM rumble

rum·bler, nounrum·bling·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rumble

Over the past week, Sony Pictures Entertainment has received more body blows than Muhammad Ali during the Rumble in the Jungle.
Sony: Hollywood’s Most Subversive Studio Under Attack|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Artillery and mortar duels all around the outskirts of Donetsk rumble angrily every day.
Should the U.S. Arm Ukraine’s Militias?|Jamie Dettmer|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As we approach the rumble of guns grows louder and alternates with the whir of cannonballs, which begin to attract his attention.
How Clausewitz Invented Modern War|James A. Warren|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rumble of the buildings coming down was like a thousand jets taking off at once.
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11|John Avlon|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There were flashes of lightning outside and the rumble of thunder.
The Gentle Giant Cut Down by Cops|Michael Daly|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His ears were full of a rumble of traffic and a clacking of heels as people walked briskly by along the damp pavements.
Three Soldiers|John Dos Passos
What capital, were it even in London, could rumble around it as tumultuously as Macbeth's perturbed soul?
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 1 of 14|Elbert Hubbard
The empty cars rolled lightly on the single track; there was no rumble of wheels, no tremor of the ground.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard|Joseph Conrad
There was no sound except the rumble of a far-off government mule team and the lazy buzz of flies.
John Ermine of the Yellowstone|Frederic Remington
A few minutes later she heard once more the rumble of wheels on the road.
The Story Of Waitstill Baxter|By Kate Douglas Wiggin

British Dictionary definitions for rumble

rumble

/ (ˈrʌmbəl) /

verb

to make or cause to make a deep resonant soundthunder rumbled in the sky

to move with such a soundthe train rumbled along

(tr) to utter with a rumbling soundhe rumbled an order

(tr) to tumble (metal components, gemstones, etc) in a barrel of smooth stone in order to polish them

(tr) British informal to find out about (someone or something); discover (something)the police rumbled their plans

(intr) US slang to be involved in a gang fight

noun

a deep resonant sound

a widespread murmur of discontent

another name for tumbler (def. 4)

US, Canadian and NZ slang a gang fight

Derived forms of rumble

rumbler, nounrumbling, adjectiverumblingly, adverb

Word Origin for rumble

C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch rummelen; related to German rummeln, rumpeln

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

rumble

verb (used without object), rum·bled, rum·bling.

verb (used with object), rum·bled, rum·bling.

noun

Words related to rumble

Words nearby rumble

Origin of rumble

SYNONYMS FOR rumble

OTHER WORDS FROM rumble

Examples from the Web for rumble

British Dictionary definitions for rumble

verb

noun

Derived forms of rumble

Word Origin for rumble