What does "tumbler" mean?
One who tumbles; one who plays tricks by various motions of the body.
Tumbler
/ˈtʌmblɚ/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who tumbles; one who plays tricks by various motions of the body.
- Grammar: tumbler is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: tumbler pigeon, acrobat, acrobat, aerialist.
- Useful contrasts: carafes, coupe, coupes.
- Usage evidence: In the tumbler, the cylinder form is tapered.
How to use "tumbler"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tumbler" 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 "tumbler" 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 "tumbler" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tumbler" 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 "tumbler" is acting as noun 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 "tumbler pigeon" 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 "tumbler", 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 One who tumbles; one who plays tricks by various motions of the body. archaic
"[…] the tricks of tumblers, funambuloes, baladines […]"
- 2 pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground wordnet
- 3 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.
- 4 a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem; originally had a round bottom wordnet
- 5 A rotating device for smoothing and polishing rough objects, placed inside it, on relatively small parts.
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a movable obstruction in a lock that must be adjusted to a given position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown wordnet
- 7 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.
- 8 a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc. wordnet
- 9 A drinking glass that has no stem, foot, or handle — so called because such glasses originally had a pointed or convex base and could not be set down without spilling. This compelled the drinker to finish their measure.
"I poured out some whisky into a tumbler, and gave it to him."
- 10 A variety of the domestic pigeon remarkable for its habit of tumbling, or turning somersaults, during its flight.
- 11 A beverage cup, typically made of stainless steel, that is broad at the top and narrow at the bottom commonly used in India.
- 12 Something that causes something else to tumble.
- 13 A dog of a breed that tumbles when pursuing game, formerly used in hunting rabbits. obsolete
- 14 A kind of cart; a tumbril. Scotland, UK, dialectal, obsolete
- 15 The pupa of a mosquito.
- 16 One of a set of levers from which the heddles hang in some looms.
- 17 A porpoise. obsolete
- 18 A service that mixes potentially identifiable or 'tainted' cryptocurrency funds with others, so as to obscure the audit trail; used for money laundering.
"The Department of Justice said it has arrested a Russian-Swedish national who allegedly operated a long-running cryptocurrency laundering site. According to a news release from the DOJ, Roman Sterlingov ran Bitcoin Fog, a cryptocurrency tumbler or “mixer”— which hides a cryptocurrency’s source by mixing it with other funds."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"In the tumbler, the cylinder form is tapered."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tumbler"?
Common synonyms include: tumbler pigeon, acrobat, acrobat, aerialist, bareback rider, circus artist.
How do you use "tumbler" in a sentence?
In the tumbler, the cylinder form is tapered.
How do you pronounce "tumbler"?
Pronounced /ˈtʌmblɚ/.
Etymology
From tumble + -er.