tumble 1 of 2

noun

Definition of tumblenext
1
as in jumble
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things cleaned a crazy tumble of buttons, hair bands, loose change, and old candy wrappers out from the couch cushions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in fall
the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily took a little tumble on the ice

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order her office is a tumble of books and papers, but somehow she can find everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tumble

2 of 2

verb

ˈtəm-bəl How to pronounce tumble (audio)
1
as in to fall
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily the infant stood for a moment and then tumbled on the carpet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plunge
to go to a lower level especially abruptly stock prices tumbled after the earnings report was released

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of tumbled all the clothes in her closet as she furiously searched for her favorite pair of jeans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to collapse
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure all we need is one strong wind, and that old barn is going to tumble

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tumble
Noun
And in tumble Spiderman and Hulk, swords in hand, a shy Snow White with her wellies on wrong, and Pocahontas cuddling a teddy. — Literary Hub, 19 June 2026 Taking by far the biggest tumble of the week – but for understandable reason – was The Book of Mormon, grossing $850,569. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 June 2026
Verb
The glowing ribbon of the Milky Way tumbles directly through this cosmic triangle before arcing towards the southern horizon, though its diffuse light will be hidden behind a veil of moonlight on the night of the full moon. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 July 2026 Samsung Electronics tumbled more than 7% while SK Hynix sank over 9% at the open, wiping out billions in market value as Asia’s largest chipmakers bore the brunt of the global tech selloff. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumble
  1. jumble
  2. fall
  3. havoc
  4. stumble
  5. plunge
  6. disrupt
  7. collapse
  8. medley
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble
Noun
  • That fall, the Civil Discourse professors did indeed teach from the same basic syllabus, but the most reading assigned to a student in any week was around one hundred twenty-seven pages, and the average was around seventy-five.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Heintz has identified at least 25 new sites in Myanmar that have appeared or grown significantly since the crackdown last fall.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of fall
Noun
  • The beloved southern elephant seal, Neil the Seal, is back in Tasmania, causing havoc yet again and garnering fans through his antics.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Those same issues have ships and planes on high alert in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflict across the region is causing havoc for civilian applications like ride-hailing and food delivery.
    — Mariam Sorond, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of havoc
Verb
  • After a chance meeting saving the life of a reporter, Dez stumbles across a vast conspiracy and now must stop the forces intent on keeping their secrets safe.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 6 July 2026
  • The hole was discovered in early April when a volunteer on a weekend cemetery clean-up day stumbled upon it.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • Riyadh largely paused shipments from its Gulf export terminals of Ras Tanura and Juaymah on March 9 after tanker traffic through Hormuz plunged due to Iranian attacks.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 2 July 2026
  • Even as the communist country proposes reforms, the United States continues a pressure campaign, ramping up economic sanctions and maintaining an oil embargo that has plunged much of the island into darkness.
    — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of plunge
Verb
  • Even tiny electromagnetic disturbances can disrupt the quantum states that perform calculations, reducing the accuracy and reliability of the system.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
  • The decision severely hampered local planning for America’s 250th anniversary, disrupting history projects, museums and educational programs nationwide.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of disrupt
Verb
  • The camaraderie was evident on the ground here in La Guaira, the coastal city where quake damage was most severe, collapsing dozens of buildings.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • The dogs, specially trained to detect human scent, have spent days searching for people trapped beneath the rubble of nearly 200 buildings that collapsed following the two powerful back-to-back earthquakes.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of collapse
Noun
  • And for more of a medley, consider three different colorways to line a midcentury-modern lap pool.
    — Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 30 June 2026
  • D’Angelo’s children introduced the medley, which was set against a backdrop of floor to ceiling windows looking out on a starry sky.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of medley

Phrases Containing tumble

Browse Nearby Words

tulles
tumble
tumbled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumble. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tumble

Nglish: Translation of tumble for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All