tumbler Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
  2. noun a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem; originally had a round bottom
  3. noun a movable obstruction in a lock that must be adjusted to a given position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown
  4. noun pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground
    tumbler pigeon; roller.

WordNet


Tum"bler noun
Definitions
  1. One who tumbles; one who plays tricks by various motions of the body; an acrobat.
  2. A movable obstruction in a lock, consisting of a lever, latch, wheel, slide, or the like, which must be adjusted to a particular position by a key or other means before the bolt can be thrown in locking or unlocking.
  3. (Firearms) A piece attached to, or forming part of, the hammer of a gunlock, upon which the mainspring acts and in which are the notches for sear point to enter.
  4. A drinking glass, without a foot or stem; -- so called because originally it had a pointed or convex base, and could not be set down with any liquor in it, thus compelling the drinker to finish his measure.
  5. (Zoöl.) A variety of the domestic pigeon remarkable for its habit of tumbling, or turning somersaults, during its flight.
  6. (Zoöl.) A breed of dogs that tumble when pursuing game. They were formerly used in hunting rabbits.
  7. A kind of cart; a tumbrel. Prov. Eng. & Scot.

Webster 1913