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:
He held for 5-4 to force Fritz to serve it out, the American's chance delayed just slightly as Jodar had treatment on his left wrist after taking a tumble in the ninth game.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Ovens, hobs, tumble dryers, washing machines and dishwashers can all make indoor spaces warmer.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Tremors also caused historic walls at the 17th-century Kumamoto castle to tumble.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
“I could, but —” My words tumble out, crash into a pile.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
A snow globe in his hand tumbles to the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
ON Semiconductor tumbles after agreeing to acquire Synaptics for approximately $7 billion in an all-stock transaction.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Spain’s Ibex 35 tumbles 5.9% at the open as banks in the index slide, with Santander falling 2.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 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 low boil stirs inside, works its way upward, and tumbles out of me.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
SpaceX and AMD tumbled 7.8% and 8%, respectively, in after-hours trade following earnings releases after the bell Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Records also tumbled in the velodrome, on synthetic carpet and in the pool, as fans were treated to some world-class sporting action.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Shares of Novo Nordisk tumbled on Friday after the healthcare giant said that a drug it was developing to treat heart disease, kidney disease and inflammation failed in a late-stage trial.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Nasdaq futures were up 0.3%, though shares in Meta Platforms tumbled by over 8% in after-hours trade after investors reacted negatively to the Facebook-owner’s latest earnings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
A cluster of ferns shook and the ground bulged up and chunks of dirt tumbled aside, and there, standing in front of the goose, was a robot.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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
Google last week also reported its lowest ever amount of leftover cash, which sent its own stock tumbling.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 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
He made a full-speed tumbling catch in the right-field gap to rob Austin Wells of an extra-base hit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
I’m afraid this is all going to sound kind of pathetic, especially to someone like Luna, whose dad applauds for her impromptu tumbling passes and picks her up from writing class.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
