tumble
Americanverb (used without object)
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tumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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tumbled,
past participle, past
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tumbling
present participle
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to fall helplessly down, end over end, as by losing one's footing, support, or equilibrium; plunge headlong.
to tumble down the stairs.
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to roll end over end, as in falling.
The stones tumbled down the hill.
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to fall or decline rapidly; drop.
Prices on the stock market tumbled today.
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to perform gymnastic feats of skill and agility, as leaps or somersaults.
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to fall suddenly from a position of power or authority; suffer overthrow.
As one dictator tumbles, another is rising to take his place.
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to fall in ruins, as from age or decay; collapse; topple.
The walls of the old mansion tumbled down upon the intruders.
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to roll about by turning one way and another; pitch about; toss.
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to stumble or fall (usually followed byover ).
to tumble over a sled.
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to go, come, get, etc., in a hasty and confused way.
The people tumbled out of the theater. He tumbled hurriedly into his clothes.
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Informal. to understand or become aware of some fact or circumstance (often followed byto ).
He finally tumbled to what they were doing.
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Rocketry. (of a missile) to rotate without control end over end.
verb (used with object)
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tumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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tumbled,
past participle, past
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tumbling
present participle
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to cause to fall or roll end over end; throw over or down.
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to throw or toss about; cause disarray, as in handling or searching.
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to put in a disordered or rumpled condition.
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to throw, cast, put, send, etc., in a precipitate, hasty, or rough manner.
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to cause to fall from a position of authority or power; overthrow; topple.
They tumbled him from his throne.
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to cause to fall or collapse in ruins.
The wreckers tumbled the walls of the building.
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to subject to the action of a tumbling box.
noun
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tumbles
plural
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an act of tumbling or falling.
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a gymnastic or acrobatic feat.
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an accidental fall; spill.
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a drop in value, as of stocks.
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a fall from a position of power or authority.
The great director took a tumble when he was replaced by a newcomer.
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a response indicating interest, affection, etc..
She wouldn't give me a tumble.
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tumbled condition; disorder or confusion.
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a confused heap.
a tumble of papers, ashes, pens, and keys on the desk.
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Chiefly New England. a haycock.
idioms
verb
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to fall or cause to fall, esp awkwardly, precipitately, or violently
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to roll or twist, esp in playing
the kittens tumbled about on the floor
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(intr) to perform leaps, somersaults, etc
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to go or move in a heedless or hasty way
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(tr) to polish (gemstones) in a tumbler
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(tr) to disturb, rumple, or toss around
to tumble the bedclothes
noun
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the act or an instance of tumbling
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a fall or toss
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an acrobatic feat, esp a somersault
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a decrease in value, number, etc
stock markets have taken a tumble
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a state of confusion
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a confused heap or pile
a tumble of clothes
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tumblesimple
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tumblessimple
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have tumbledperfect
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has tumbledperfect
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am tumblingprogressive
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are tumblingprogressive
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is tumblingprogressive
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have been tumblingperfect progressive
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has been tumblingperfect progressive
Past
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tumbledsimple
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had tumbledperfect
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was tumblingprogressive
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were tumblingprogressive
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had been tumblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tumble
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English tum(b)len “to dance in acrobatic style” (cognate with Dutch tuimelen, Low German tummeln ), frequentative of Middle English tomben, Old English tumbian, (cognate with Old Norse tumba, akin to Old High German tūmōn “to reel” (perhaps from Old Low German ); compare French tomber “to fall,” from Germanic ); see -le
Explanation
When you tumble, you fall abruptly. You might trip over your shoelaces and tumble down a hill while flying a kite if you're not careful. To suddenly topple over or trip and fall to the ground is to tumble. Toddlers often tumble in sandboxes, while running on sidewalks, or as they climb down stairs. There's another way to tumble that is more deliberate: the form of gymnastics that involves roundoffs and back handsprings is called tumbling, and if you're able to do these tricks, you can tumble. The root is believed to be the Old English tumbian, "to dance about."
Vocabulary lists containing tumble
Going Down: Synonyms for "Fall"
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The Road to Freedom
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 4
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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.
See Examples For:
I regret to inform you that, in 2026, Boy George won’t even tumble for us.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Meanwhile, about 25% of the homeless population is dealing with mental illness, and many of them tumble repeatedly through jails, hospitals and courts at great expense without positive outcomes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Shares of the EV company tumble 15% after disappointing quarterly results, and the rocket maker is off 50% from its highs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The records continued to tumble, with their partnership becoming England's highest opening stand at Lord's and their highest ever against India.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
He passed, and I went on; a few steps, and I turned: a sliding sound and an exclamation of “What the deuce is to do now?” and a clattering tumble, arrested my attention.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Plus, Coach owner Tapestry tumbles and Workday soars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Microsoft stock rises while Meta tumbles after the tech giants post quarterly earnings.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
A snow globe in his hand tumbles to the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Routines are made up of familiar stunts, jumps, gymnastic tumbles and classic cheer chants, but modified to account for the needs of teammates.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
A sixth grader tumbles to the mat and has to join the spectators on the grass.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Trades in China were losers for a number of quants, and firms suffered as AI-related stocks tumbled then snapped back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Rubner noted leveraged exchange-traded-fund assets tumbled more than $60 billion from a June peak to $154 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
On Holding shares tumbled 16% in premarket trading following the announcement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
"Since yesterday we've been wondering what will become of our lives," 38-year-old housewife Gloria Giraldo, whose neighborhood had tumbled around her, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Tall firs lurched, bushes swayed, rocks tumbled to the snow. Waves rolled down the road like swells on a sea. We wobbled north-south, north-south for five seconds,” Waitt remembered.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The leadership announcement came as Klarna tempered its outlook for the year, even as it swung to a profit and logged higher revenue in the second quarter, sending shares tumbling in premarket trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"The sky is not going to come tumbling in on top of us if we think about increasing the amount of spaces and venues we have in Belfast," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But even when Kiki botches a delivery by dropping a toy mid-air, sending it tumbling into a nearby forest, a bit of reciprocal effort solves the problem.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
With chip stocks now tumbling into a bear market, two big Wall Street were divided over whether a big buy-the-dip moment for investors had arrived.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
I watched them swing and connect, sending bug after bug tumbling to the ground.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
