tumble

1 an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end

2 a sudden drop from an upright position; "he had a nasty spill on the ice" [syn: spill, fall]

1 fall down, as if collapsing; "The tower of the World Trade Center tumbled after the plane hit it" [syn: topple]

2 cause to topple or tumble by pushing [syn: topple, tip]

3 roll over and over, back and forth

4 fly around; "The clothes tumbled in the dryer"; "rising smoke whirled in the air" [syn: whirl, whirl around]

5 fall apart; "the building crimbled after the explosion"; "Negociations broke down" [syn: crumble, crumple, break down, collapse]

6 throw together in a confused mass; "They tumbled the teams with no apparent pattern"

7 understand, usually after some initial difficulty; "She didn't know what her classmates were plotting but finally caught on" [syn: catch on, get wise, get onto, latch on, cotton on, twig, get it]

8 fall suddenly and sharply; "Prices tumbled after the devaluation of the currency"

9 put clothes in a tumbling barrel, where they are whirled about in hot air, usually with the purpose of drying; "Wash in warm water and tumble dry"

10 suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat

11 do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully

English

Etymology

From tumblen; frequentative of tumben, from tumbian.

Pronunciation

• , /tʌmbəl/

  Rhymes with: -ʌmbəl

Noun

1. A fall

Derived terms

• rough and tumble
• take a tumble
• tumble dryer
• tumbler

Translations

Verb

1. To fall end over end.
2. To perform gymnastics such as somersaults, rolls, and handsprings.
3. To roll over and over.

Derived terms

• tumble to

Translations

Tumbling may refer to:

• Tumbling (gymnastics), floor gymnastics similar to somersault, back handsprings, and roundoffs
• Tumble polishing

See also

• Tumbler

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