tumble Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end
  2. noun a sudden drop from an upright position
    fall; spill.
    • he had a nasty spill on the ice
  3. verb fall down, as if collapsing
    topple.
    • The tower of the World Trade Center tumbled after the plane hit it
  4. verb cause to topple or tumble by pushing
    tip; topple.
  5. verb roll over and over, back and forth
  6. verb fly around
    whirl; whirl around.
    • The clothes tumbled in the dryer
    • rising smoke whirled in the air
  7. verb fall apart
    collapse; crumple; break down; crumble.
    • the building crumbled after the explosion
    • Negotiations broke down
  8. verb throw together in a confused mass
    • They tumbled the teams with no apparent pattern
  9. verb understand, usually after some initial difficulty
    get it; catch on; latch on; get wise; get onto; twig; cotton on.
    • She didn't know what her classmates were plotting but finally caught on
  10. verb fall suddenly and sharply
    • Prices tumbled after the devaluation of the currency
  11. verb put clothes in a tumbling barrel, where they are whirled about in hot air, usually with the purpose of drying
    • Wash in warm water and tumble dry
  12. verb suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat
  13. verb do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully

WordNet

Tum"ble intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. tumblen, AS. tumbian to turn heels over head, to dance violently; akin to D. tuimelen to fall, Sw. tumla, Dan. tumle, Icel. tumba; and cf. G. taumeln to reel, to stagger.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Tumbled ; present participle & verbal noun Tumbling
Definitions
  1. To roll over, or to and fro; to throw one's self about; as, a person on pain tumbles and tosses.
  2. To roll down; to fall suddenly and violently; to be precipitated; as, to tumble from a scaffold.
    He who tumbles from a tower surely has a greater blow than he who slides from a molehill. South.
  3. To play tricks by various movements and contortions of the body; to perform the feats of an acrobat. Rowe.
Tum"ble transitive verb
Definitions
  1. 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.
  2. To disturb; to rumple; as, to tumble a bed.
Tum"ble noun
Definitions
  1. Act of tumbling, or rolling over; a fall.

Webster 1913