tumbling

American  

[tuhm-bling] / ˈtʌm blɪŋ /

noun

1. the act, practice, or art of performing acrobatic tumbles, usually on a mat or the ground.

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Etymology

Origin of tumbling

First recorded in 1375–1425, tumbling is from the late Middle English word tomblyng. See tumble, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Instead, we talked for hours, our words tumbling over each other like we’d been rehearsing for years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

A planned $150 million funding deal with a prospective tenant fell through in December, which sent Fermi stock tumbling.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were each weighed down by tumbling shares of Meta Platforms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

That opens up the S&P 500 to the possibility of tumbling into a correction of a least 10% from its 6,978.60, closing record on Jan. 27.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

The first one went a little too high, the next one went a little too far, and soon they all went tumbling back into the grass.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• plunging