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tumble - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'tumble' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Tumble [ n.]
- Act of tumbling, or rolling over; a fall.
2 . Tumble [ v. i.]
- To roll over, or to and fro; to throw one's self about; as, a person on pain tumbles and tosses.
- To roll down; to fall suddenly and violently; to be precipitated; as, to tumble from a scaffold.
- To play tricks by various movements and contortions of the body; to perform the feats of an acrobat.
3 . Tumble [ v. t.]
- To turn over; to turn or throw about, as for examination or search; to roll or move in a rough, coarse, or unceremonious manner; to throw down or headlong; to precipitate; -- sometimes with over, about, etc.; as, to tumble books or papers.
- To disturb; to rumple; as, to tumble a bed.

Meaning of 'tumble' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . tumble [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a sudden drop from an upright position
Example in sentence:
  • he had a nasty spill on the ice
2 . tumble [ v]
Meaning (2):
- fall apart
Example in sentence:
  • Negotiations broke down;
  • the building crumbled after the explosion
Meaning (3):
- fall suddenly and sharply
Example in sentence:
  • Prices tumbled after the devaluation of the currency
Meaning (4):
- fly around
Example in sentence:
  • rising smoke whirled in the air;
  • The clothes tumbled in the dryer
Meaning (5):
- understand, usually after some initial difficulty
Example in sentence:
  • She didn't know what her classmates were plotting but finally caught on
Meaning (6):
- fall down, as if collapsing
Example in sentence:
  • The tower of the World Trade Center tumbled after the plane hit it
Meaning (7):
- throw together in a confused mass
Example in sentence:
  • They tumbled the teams with no apparent pattern
Meaning (8):
- put clothes in a tumbling barrel, where they are whirled about in hot air, usually with the purpose of drying
Example in sentence:
  • Wash in warm water and tumble dry

Nearby Words:

tum-tum tumble-down tumblebug tumbled tumbledung tumbler tumblerful tumblerfuls tumbleweed tumbling

See 'tumble' also in:

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Related Definitions

  • Stumble
    Stumble is an engine begins to stall but then kicks back in.

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