tumbled; tumbling
ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
2
a
: to perform gymnastic feats in tumbling
b
: to turn end over end in falling or flight
3
: to roll over and over, to and fro, or end over end : toss
4
: to issue forth hurriedly and confusedly
5
: to come by chance : stumble
6
: to come to understand : catch on
didn't tumble to the seriousness of the problem
1
: to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)
3
: to whirl in a tumbling barrel
1
a
: a disordered mass of objects or material
b
: a disorderly state
2
: an act or instance of tumbling
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- variety
- welter
Examples of tumble in a Sentence
Verb
He tripped and tumbled to the ground.
The statue came tumbling down during the riots.
The satellite was tumbling out of control.
She slipped and tumbled down the hill.
Everyone came tumbling out of the bar at closing time.
He tumbled into bed and fell asleep.
Water tumbled over the rocks.
Noun
cleaned a crazy tumble of buttons, hair bands, loose change, and old candy wrappers out from the couch cushions
took a little tumble on the ice
Recent Examples on the Web
Karen Gilchrist,sophie Kiderlin,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
That predictor failed only once, in 1956, according to Stovall, pointing to the year when incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson, despite the S&P 500 tumbling 7.7% in the period ahead of the election.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Bananas is the first to take the tumble into the water, undoubtedly bruising his gladiator-size ego.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tumble 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Elsewhere, Schroders shares tumbled 13.7% after the asset manager posted its latest trading update.
—Karen Gilchrist,sophie Kiderlin,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
That predictor failed only once, in 1956, according to Stovall, pointing to the year when incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson, despite the S&P 500 tumbling 7.7% in the period ahead of the election.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
The fall came less than a month after Olivia Rodrigo took a jarring tumble through the stage during her Guts show in Melbourne — though her fall was at the Rod Laver Arena.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Bananas is the first to take the tumble into the water, undoubtedly bruising his gladiator-size ego.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tumble
Dictionary Entries Near tumble
Cite this Entry
“Tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumble. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tumble
1 of 2 verb
tum·ble
ˈtəm-bəl
tumbled; tumbling
-b(ə-)liŋ
1
a
: to perform gymnastic feats of rolling and turning
b
: to turn end over end in falling or in flight
the satellite was tumbling out of control
2
a
: to fall suddenly and helplessly
b
: to suffer a sudden downward turn or defeat
3
: to move or go in a hurried or confused way
everyone came tumbling out at closing time
4
: to come to understand
I thought you'd tumble to what I meant
5
: to toss about or together into a confused mass
tumble the ingredients lightly
tumble
2 of 2 noun1
: a messy state or collection
2
: an act or instance of tumbling
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