tumble dryer

British

noun

Also called: tumbler dryer. tumbler. a machine that dries wet laundry by rotating it in warmed air inside a metal drum

"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

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.

Some years ago, a fire alarm went off in his own home – in a room where his tumble dryer was operating.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

Dry clothes outdoors if you can, rather than using a tumble dryer, or hang clothes indoors but ventilate well or use a dehumidifier to avoid damp.

From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025

Meanwhile, Darren O'Donovan, chairman of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority and a councillor for Dewsbury West, said it was thought the blaze could have been started by a tumble dryer.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2025

Guiseppe Capanna, a product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast tumble dryer owners should always make sure their machines are not subject to a recall.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024

But if they were accidents, then it was like putting a jigsaw puzzle into a tumble dryer and having it come out with all the pieces in the right place.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023