tumble

verb

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tum·ble | \ ˈtəm-bəl

tumbled; tumbling\ ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of tumble

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to fall suddenly and helplessly

b : to suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat

c : to decline suddenly and sharply (as in price) : drop the stock market tumbled

d : to fall into ruin : collapse

2a : 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

transitive verb

1 : to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)

2a : to throw together in a confused mass

b : rumple, disorder

3 : to whirl in a tumbling barrel

tumble

noun

Definition of tumble (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a disordered mass of objects or material

b : a disorderly state

2 : an act or instance of tumbling

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tumble

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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: Verb With that single act of defiance, the story says, Parks set off a movement that sped across the South of the 1950s and 1960s, through Little Rock and Greensboro, Anniston and Ole Miss, Birmingham and Selma, and brought Jim Crow tumbling down. — Kevin Boyle, New York Times, "African-Americans in the New Deal," 12 May 2020 Of course, Bitcoin is also famously volatile, having gone parabolic in late 2017 to reach about $19,000, before tumbling back over the course of the next year. — Joanna Ossinger, Bloomberg.com, "No Virus Woes for Bitcoin as It Climbs to Highest Since November," 8 May 2020 Officials, mainly from rich countries, are spending and lending more than $5 trillion to keep their nations from tumbling into an economic black hole caused by the novel coronavirus. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "The explosion in global government debt, in five charts," 8 May 2020 The sales came ahead of the broader stock market tumbling on worries about the pandemic. — Kate Gibson, CBS News, "Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her husband to exit stocks after coronavirus sales uproar," 8 Apr. 2020 But if the collapse is lasting, oil executives say there is nothing to stop oil prices from tumbling to the lowest levels in at least five years. — BostonGlobe.com, "Stories you may have missed from the world of business," 9 Mar. 2020 Kentucky's John Calipari on close win over Ole Miss Courier Journal LEXINGTON – Tyrese Maxey deflected the pass with the long reach of his right hand and then caught the ball in the act of tumbling out of bounds. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "It's grit, not glamour, that carried the day for Kentucky basketball over Ole Miss," 16 Feb. 2020 The ride currently ends with a scene showing the villainous witch attempting to push a boulder onto the seven dwarves before tumbling to her death. — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, "Disney reveals major changes coming to classic Snow White ride," 28 Nov. 2019 The Tigers then lost a rematch to the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, tumbling out of the CFP field and settling for a Peach Bowl berth. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Auburn’s focus is beyond playing role of spoiler for Georgia, Alabama’s playoff hopes," 13 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That optimism had lifted the S&P; 500 about 30% above its March 23 low, at least before Friday's tumble. — Matt Egan, CNN, "It's an insane time for Trump to pick (another) fight with China," 1 May 2020 Naomi Fraser Christian Kelly-Sordelet was leading his HB Studio class onstage combat through leaps and tumbles. — New York Times, "‘The World Goes Away’ and Other Lessons From Online Acting Class," 20 Apr. 2020 Many schools draw from their endowments to pay for scholarships, faculty jobs, and campus operations, but those reserves have taken deep losses as markets tumble. — Bollin Binkley And Jeff Amy, The Christian Science Monitor, "Colleges fight to survive coronavirus financial hit," 7 Apr. 2020 And a boozy vacay in Tequila, Mexico (season 9, episodes 16–18) is worth it for Luann’s spectacular tumble down the stairs alone. — Mary Sollosi, EW.com, "Real Housewives of New York City's Ramona and Luann tease ‘insane’ new season, ‘better without’ Bethenny," 2 Apr. 2020 After an initial tumble earlier this month, shares in firearm manufacturers American Outdoor Brands, the maker of Smith & Wesson guns, and Sturm, Ruger & Co., have been on the rise. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, "Gun stores are "essential," may remain open during coronavirus pandemic, says Texas attorney general," 27 Mar. 2020 That measure, Senate observers say, would offer ways to combat the coronavirus' effects on the economy as stocks tumble and business losses mount. — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Mitch McConnell 'has blood on his hands' from coronavirus response, Democrat says," 17 Mar. 2020 Hannity has been one of President Trump's most outspoken defenders during his first-term, ramping up in recent days as markets tumble and people worry about the possibility of quarantine. — Spencer Neale, Washington Examiner, "Hannity promotes Qanon conspiracy theorist who claims ‘deep state’ using coronavirus to 'manipulate economies'," 12 Mar. 2020 To get rid of dust or dirt on the pillow, vacuum both sides, or tumble in the dryer on the no-heat or air-only cycle for 20 minutes. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "How to Wash Pillows in the Washing Machine and by Hand," 27 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tumble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.