tumbled; tumbling
ˈtəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
2
a
: to perform gymnastic feats in tumbling
b
: to turn end over end in falling or flight
3
: to roll over and over, to and fro, or end over end : toss
4
: to issue forth hurriedly and confusedly
5
: to come by chance : stumble
6
: to come to understand : catch on
didn't tumble to the seriousness of the problem
1
: to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)
3
: to whirl in a tumbling barrel
1
a
: a disordered mass of objects or material
b
: a disorderly state
2
: an act or instance of tumbling
Examples of tumble in a Sentence
Verb
He tripped and tumbled to the ground.
The statue came tumbling down during the riots.
The satellite was tumbling out of control.
She slipped and tumbled down the hill.
Everyone came tumbling out of the bar at closing time.
He tumbled into bed and fell asleep.
Water tumbled over the rocks.
Noun
cleaned a crazy tumble of buttons, hair bands, loose change, and old candy wrappers out from the couch cushions
took a little tumble on the ice
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 16 Apr. 2025
Prices for Canadian imports tumbled 1.5% while goods from Mexico were 0.3% cheaper.
—Lucia Mutikani, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025
More: Trump backpedals on Mexico, Canada tariffs amid consumer anxiety, stock market tumble
Imports from Canada and Mexico that are compliant with the USMCA compliant goods will continue to see no tariff, according to the White House, while non-USMCA compliant goods will be hit with a 25% tariff.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tumble
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Stocks tumbled Wednesday after Nvidia warned new U.S. restrictions on exports to China will chisel billions of dollars off its results, with market losses accelerating after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned about the economic risks from President Trump's tariffs.
—CBS News, 16 Apr. 2025
Prices for Canadian imports tumbled 1.5% while goods from Mexico were 0.3% cheaper.
—Lucia Mutikani, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
More than 70% of the slide in final demand prices came from a 0.9% tumble in goods prices, a key measure as policymakers look for inflation drivers.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025
More: Trump backpedals on Mexico, Canada tariffs amid consumer anxiety, stock market tumble
Imports from Canada and Mexico that are compliant with the USMCA compliant goods will continue to see no tariff, according to the White House, while non-USMCA compliant goods will be hit with a 25% tariff.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tumble
Cite this Entry
“Tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumble. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tumble
1 of 2 verb
tum·ble
ˈtəm-bəl
tumbled; tumbling
-b(ə-)liŋ
1
a
: to perform gymnastic feats of rolling and turning
b
: to turn end over end in falling or in flight
the satellite was tumbling out of control
2
a
: to fall suddenly and helplessly
b
: to suffer a sudden downward turn or defeat
3
: to move or go in a hurried or confused way
everyone came tumbling out at closing time
4
: to come to understand
I thought you'd tumble to what I meant
5
: to toss about or together into a confused mass
tumble the ingredients lightly
tumble
2 of 2 noun1
: a messy state or collection
2
: an act or instance of tumbling
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