trundle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause (a circular object) to roll along; roll.
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to convey or move in a wagon, cart, or other wheeled vehicle; wheel.
The farmer trundled his produce to market in a rickety wagon.
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Archaic. to cause to rotate; twirl; spin.
verb (used without object)
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to roll along.
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to move or run on a wheel or wheels.
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to travel in a wheeled vehicle.
He got into his car and trundled downtown.
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to move or walk with a rolling gait.
noun
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a small wheel, roller, or the like.
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a lantern wheel.
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each of the bars of a lantern wheel.
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a truck or carriage on low wheels.
verb
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to move heavily on or as if on wheels
the bus trundled by
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archaic (tr) to rotate or spin
noun
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the act or an instance of trundling
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a small wheel or roller
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the pinion of a lantern
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any of the bars in a lantern pinion
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a small truck with low wheels
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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trundlesimple
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trundlessimple
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have trundledperfect
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has trundledperfect
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am trundlingprogressive
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are trundlingprogressive
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is trundlingprogressive
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have been trundlingperfect progressive
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has been trundlingperfect progressive
Past
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trundledsimple
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had trundledperfect
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was trundlingprogressive
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were trundlingprogressive
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had been trundlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trundle
First recorded in 1555–65; variant of trindle
Explanation
When you trundle something, you move it or roll it awkwardly. You might have to trundle your broken suitcase down the stairs if you can't find an elevator. When a person trundles, they move slowly and heavily. As a noun, trundle means "a roller," and it usually refers to something on wheels that can be moved around, like a trundle bed, a low bed frame you can slide and store beneath a taller bed. You might roll out the trundle bed when your friend sleeps over, and then try to fall asleep as you listen to your brother trundle around the kitchen looking for a midnight snack.
Vocabulary lists containing trundle
The Lightning Thief
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The Kite Runner
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Uglies
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The game would trundle to a draw, leaving Scotland needing all three groups to go in their favour - a probability of 0.07% - for their World Cup party to continue.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
As hungry birds of prey circle above, hundreds of garbage trucks trundle through the town below, leaving trails of rubbish in their wake.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Stocks trading outside of the U.S. mostly continued to trundle higher in February, with big gains particularly in the South Korean market.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
The performers trundle the keyboard instruments out for use and then off again.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Werner gets into a trundle bed that Frederick’s mother has apologized for three separate times, although its mattress is more comfortable than any he has slept on in his life.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
