tumbrel

noun

tum·brel ˈtəm-brəl

variants or tumbril

: a farm tipcart

: a vehicle carrying condemned persons (such as political prisoners during the French Revolution) to a place of execution

Examples of tumbrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Yet this same avidity also means that if public opinion shifts significantly towards republicanism, vote-hungry politicians will be the first to jump on that tumbrel. —

Catherine Mayer, CNN, 14 Apr. 2021 All of a sudden women recoiled, the ethos tilted, and now the tumbrel is moving briskly through Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Capitol Hill, and beyond, carrying lechers, perverts, and boors into job-threatening disgrace. —

Alessandra Stanley, Town & Country, 3 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tumbrel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tomrel, from Old French tomberel, from tomber to tumble, perhaps of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German tūmōn to reel — more at tumble

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of tumbrel was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century