What does "tumble" mean?
A fall, especially end over end.
Tumble
/ˈtʌmbl̩/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fall, especially end over end.
- Grammar: tumble is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fall, alight, alight upon, apprehend.
- Useful contrasts: increase, land, poise oneself.
- Usage evidence: I saw a girl tumble and ran to her in spite of myself.
How to use "tumble"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tumble" 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 "tumble" 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 "tumble" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tumble" 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 "tumble" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "fall" 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 "tumble", 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 A fall, especially end over end.
"I took a tumble down the stairs and broke my tooth."
- 2 a sudden drop from an upright position wordnet
- 3 A disorderly heap.
"When at last we stopped in a tumble of bodies on the grass, laughing, and in Dad's case, out of breath, we were like little kids (I mean 5 or 6! After all I am 12!) at the end of a playground session."
- 4 an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end wordnet
- 5 An act of sexual intercourse. informal
"Wouldn't it be jolly now, / To take our Aertex panters off / And have a jolly tumble in / The jolly, jolly sun?"
Verb
- 1 To fall end over end; to roll over and over. intransitive
"He who tumbles from a tower surely has a greater blow than he who slides from a molehill."
- 2 do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully wordnet
- 3 To throw headlong. transitive
"His hand went after his revolver almost that instant mine did. I was a second too quick for him, for my shot tumbled him from his mule just as his ball whistled harmlessly past by my head."
- 4 suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat wordnet
- 5 To perform gymnastics such as somersaults, rolls, and handsprings. intransitive
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 put clothes in a tumbling barrel, where they are whirled about in hot air, usually with the purpose of drying wordnet
- 7 To drop rapidly. intransitive
"Share prices tumbled after the revelation about the company's impending failure."
- 8 fall suddenly and sharply wordnet
- 9 To smooth and polish (e.g. gemstones or pebbles) by means of a rotating tumbler. transitive
- 10 understand, usually after some initial difficulty wordnet
- 11 To have sexual intercourse. informal, intransitive
- 12 throw together in a confused mass wordnet
- 13 To move or rush in a headlong or uncontrolled way. intransitive
"Whether he ever thought of it at all, might be a question ; but, if he ever did chance to cast his mind that way after a comfortable dinner, no doubt, like a good sailor, he took it to be a sort of call of the watch to tumble aloft, and bestir themselves there, about something which he would find out when he obeyed the order, and not sooner."
- 14 roll over and over, back and forth wordnet
- 15 To muss, to make disorderly; to tousle or rumple.
"to tumble a bed"
- 16 fall down, as if collapsing wordnet
- 17 To obscure the audit trail of funds by means of a tumbler.
"Now it’s easy to purchase bitcoins on any number of mainstream markets and “tumble” them so that their point of purchase is obscured."
- 18 fall apart wordnet
- 19 To comprehend; often in tumble to. UK, obsolete, slang
"Speaking of this language, a costermonger said to me: "The Irish can't tumble to it anyhow; the Jews can tumble better, but we're their masters. Some of the young salesmen at Billingsgate understand us, — but only at Billingsgate; […]"
- 20 fly around wordnet
- 21 cause to topple or tumble by pushing wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A village in Llannon community, Carmarthenshire, Wales (OS grid ref SN5411).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I saw a girl tumble and ran to her in spite of myself."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tumble"?
Common synonyms include: fall, alight, alight upon, apprehend, arsy-varsiness, ascertain.
How do you use "tumble" in a sentence?
I saw a girl tumble and ran to her in spite of myself.
How do you pronounce "tumble"?
Pronounced /ˈtʌmbl̩/.
Etymology
From Middle English tumblen (“to fall over and over again, tumble”), frequentative of Middle English tumben (“to fall, leap, dance”), from Old English tumbian, from Proto-Germanic *tūmōną (“to turn, rotate”). Cognate with Middle Dutch tumelen (whence Dutch tuimelen), Middle Low German tumelen, tummelen, German taumeln and Danish tumle.