What does "trundle" mean?
Ellipsis of trundle bed (“a low bed on wheels that can be rolled underneath another bed”).
Trundle
/ˈtɹʌndəl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Ellipsis of trundle bed (“a low bed on wheels that can be rolled underneath another bed”).
- Grammar: trundle is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: advance, bowl, bunt, butt.
- Useful contrasts: accelerate, advance quickly, carry by hand.
- Usage evidence: I used to sleep in a trundle bed when I would visit my aunt and uncle.
How to use "trundle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "trundle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "trundle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "trundle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "trundle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "trundle" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "trundle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Ellipsis of trundle bed (“a low bed on wheels that can be rolled underneath another bed”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
""When he comes back will be turned out." "But I always knew it was a one-year job." "Oh you don't mind being like a rented article from Hertz's, like a trundle bed or a baby's potty?""
- 2 small wheel or roller wordnet
- 3 A low wagon or cart on small wheels, used to transport things. obsolete
"[…] you may […] place the whole weighty Clod upon a Trundle to be convey’d, and Replanted where you please,"
- 4 a low bed to be slid under a higher bed wordnet
- 5 A small wheel or roller. obsolete
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A motion as of something moving upon little wheels or rollers; a rolling motion.
"There was something expert and even vicious in the flick of Paul’s arm and the hard momentary trundle of the [cricket] ball along the curving rails."
- 7 The sound made by an object being moved on wheels.
"[…] an old man who could always be located from far away by the sound of a scythe or the trundle of a wheelbarrow."
- 8 A lantern wheel, or one of its bars.
"The Cog-wheels in most Wind-Mills are (in the diameter) 8. foot or under […] the trundle is at the least two foot, which is 4. to one."
- 9 A spool or skein of golden thread (chiefly in the arms of the Embroiderers Company, now the Company of Broderers). rare
"between as many Trundles, Or […]"
Verb
- 1 To wheel or roll (an object on wheels), especially by pushing, often slowly or heavily. transitive
"Every morning, the vendors trundle their carts out into the market."
- 2 move heavily wordnet
- 3 To transport (something or someone) using an object on wheels, especially one that is pushed.
"[…] they are attended like the Lords and Princes of the earth, with mighty retinues, and are carryed in coaches with foure or six horses a peece in them, when a wheele barrow such as they trundle white wine vineger about the towne were a great deale fitter for them […]"
- 4 To move heavily (on wheels). intransitive
"[…] he can glibly run over Non-sense, as an empty Cart trundles down a Hill."
- 5 To move (something or someone), often heavily or clumsily. transitive
"I’ll clap a pair of horses to your chaise that shall trundle you off in a twinkling,"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To move, often heavily or clumsily. intransitive
"Betty. They are gone Sir, in great Anger. / Pet[ulant]. Enough, let 'em trundle. Anger helps Complexion, ſaves Paint."
- 7 To cause (something) to roll or revolve; to roll (something) along. transitive
"to trundle a hoop or a ball"
- 8 To roll or revolve; to roll along. intransitive
"At Chrystes death, whan the Apostles all Theyr mayster dyd leaue, throughe mutabylytie Men were founde lyght, and trundlynge as a ball In them was no fayth, but infydelytye"
Proper Noun
- 1 A locality in the Parkes council area, central New South Wales, Australia.
Antonyms
Example
"I used to sleep in a trundle bed when I would visit my aunt and uncle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "trundle"?
Common synonyms include: advance, bowl, bunt, butt, cart, creep.
How do you use "trundle" in a sentence?
I used to sleep in a trundle bed when I would visit my aunt and uncle.
How do you pronounce "trundle"?
Pronounced /ˈtɹʌndəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English trondlin, trondelen, a variation of Middle English trendlen, from Old English trendlian. More at trendle, trindle.