tumble, v. i. [OE. tumblen, AS. tumbian to turn heels over head, to dance violently; akin to D. tuimelen to fall, Sw. tumla, Dan. tumle, Icel. tumba; and cf. G. taumeln to reel, to stagger.].

To roll over, or to and fro; to throw one's self about; as, a person in pain tumbles and tosses. [1913 Webster]
To roll down; to fall suddenly and violently; to be precipitated; as, to tumble from a scaffold. [1913 Webster]
"He who tumbles from a tower surely has a greater blow than he who slides from a molehill." [1913 Webster]
To play tricks by various movements and contortions of the body; to perform the feats of an acrobat. Rowe. [1913 Webster]

To tumble home (Naut.), to incline inward, as the sides of a vessel, above the bends or extreme breadth; -- used esp. in the phrase tumbling home. Cf. Wall-sided.

tumble, v. t.

To turn over; to turn or throw about, as for examination or search; to roll or move in a rough, coarse, or unceremonious manner; to throw down or headlong; to precipitate; -- sometimes with over, about, etc.; as, to tumble books or papers. [1913 Webster]
To disturb; to rumple; as, to tumble a bed. [1913 Webster]

tumble, n.

Act of tumbling, or rolling over; a fall. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

tumble, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. & tr. fall or cause to fall suddenly, clumsily, or headlong.
2 intr. fall rapidly in amount etc. (prices tumbled).
3 intr. (often foll. by about, around) roll or toss erratically or helplessly to and fro.
4 intr. move or rush in a headlong or blundering manner (the children tumbled out of the car).
5 intr. (often foll. by to) colloq. grasp the meaning or hidden implication of an idea, circumstance, etc. (they quickly tumbled to our intentions).
6 tr. overturn; fling or push roughly or carelessly.
7 intr. perform acrobatic feats, esp. somersaults.
8 tr. rumple or disarrange; pull about; disorder.
9 tr. dry (washing) in a tumble-drier.
10 tr. clean (castings, gemstones, etc.) in a tumbling-barrel.
11 intr. (of a pigeon) turn over backwards in flight.
--n.
1 a sudden or headlong fall.
2 a somersault or other acrobatic feat.
3 an untidy or confused state.

Idiom

tumble-drier n. a machine for drying washing in a heated rotating drum. tumble-dry v.tr. & intr. (-dries, -dried) dry in a tumble-drier. tumbling-barrel (or -box etc.) a revolving device containing an abrasive substance, in which castings, gemstones, etc., are cleaned by friction. tumbling-bay
1 the outfall of a river, reservoir, etc.
2 a pool into which this flows.

Etymology

ME tumbel f. MLG tummelen, OHG tumalon frequent. of tumon: cf. OE tumbian dance

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THESAURUS

tumble

alight upon, apprehend, arsy-varsiness, ball up, bite the dust, blow down, blow over, blunder, blunder upon, blur, blur distinctions, bollix up, bow, bowl down, bowl over, break up, breakdown, bring down, bulldog, bump into, capsize, careen, career, cast down, catch on, chance upon, chop down, clutter, collapse, come a cropper, come across, come down, come on, come up against, come upon, comedown, comprehend, confound, confuse, crash, cropper, crumble, crumble to dust, culbute, cut down, dash down, deck, deflation, descend, dig, discover serendipitously, disintegrate, dive, down, downfall, drop, dump, encounter, fall, fall down, fall flat, fall headlong, fall in with, fall over, fall prostrate, fall to pieces, falter, farrago, fell, fetch down, fidget, flip out, floor, flop, flounce, flounder, flutter, forced landing, foul up, freak out on, fumble, garble, get a cropper, get high on, glow, go down, go pitapat, go to pieces, go under, ground, grovel, happen upon, hash, have enough, have the fidgets, have the shakes, header, heave, helter-skelter, hew down, higgledy-piggledy, hit upon, hobbyhorse, hodgepodge, hysteron proteron, jerk, jumble, jumble together, keel over, knock down, labor, lay level, lay low, lay out, level, lick the dust, light upon, list, litter, lose, lose out, lose the day, lurch, make heavy weather, mash, meet up with, meet with, mess, mishmash, mix, mix up, mow down, muck up, muddle, nose dive, overlook distinctions, palpitate, pant, perceive, pi, pitch, pitch and plunge, pitch and toss, play hob with, plunge, pound, pratfall, precipitate, prostrate, pull down, quake, quaver, quiver, rase, raze, rear, reel, riffle, rock, roll, rummage, run across, run into, run up against, say uncle, scend, scramble, screw up, see the light, seethe, send headlong, shake, shiver, shuffle, slip, slump, smash, snafu, snarl up, spill, sprawl, spread-eagle, squirm, stagger, struggle, stumble, stumble on, stumble upon, succumb, supinate, sway, swell, swell with emotion, swing, tailspin, take a fall, take a flop, take a header, take a pratfall, take a spill, take down, take the count, thrash about, thrill, thrill to, throb, throw, throw down, tilt, tingle, tingle with excitement, topple, topple down, topple over, topsy-turviness, topsy-turvydom, toss, toss and tumble, toss and turn, totter, tremble, trip, tumble on, tumble to, turmoil, turn on to, turn turtle, twist and turn, twitch, twitter, understand, unholy mess, upset, volutation, wallop, wallow, welter, whack down, wiggle, wise up, wriggle, writhe, yaw

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ROGET THESAURUS

tumble

Derangement

VB derange, disarrange, misarrange, displace, misplace, mislay, discompose, disorder, deorganize, discombobulate, disorganize, embroil, unsettle, disturb, confuse, trouble, perturb, jumble, tumble, shuffle, randomize, huddle, muddle, toss, hustle, fumble, riot, bring into disorder, put into disorder, throw into disorder, muss, break the ranks, disconcert, convulse, break in upon, unhinge, dislocate, put out of joint, throw out of gear, turn topsy-turvy, bedevil, complicate, involve, perplex, confound, imbrangle, embrangle, tangle, entangle, ravel, tousle, towzle, dishevel, ruffle, rumple, litter, scatter, mix, rearrange.

Failure

VB fail, be unsuccessful, not succeed, make vain efforts, do in vain, labor in vain, toil in vain, flunk, lose one's labor, take nothing by one's motion, bring to naught, make nothing of, wash a blackamoor white, roll the stones of Sisyphus, do by halves, lose ground, fall short of, miss, miss one's aim, miss the mark, miss one's footing, miss stays, slip, trip, stumble, make a slip, blunder, make a mess of, make a botch of, bitch it, miscarry, abort, go up like a rocket and come down like the stick, come down in flames, get shot down, reckon without one's host, get the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong sow by the ear, limp, halt, hobble, titubate, fall, tumble, lose one's balance, fall to the ground, fall between two stools, flounder, falter, stick in the mud, run aground, split upon a rock, beat one's head against a stone wall, run one's head against a stone wall, knock one's head against a stone wall, dash one's head against a stone wall, break one's back, break down, sink, drown, founder, have the ground cut from under one, get into trouble, get into a mess, get into a scrape, come to grief, go to the wall, go to the dogs, go to pot, lick the dust, bite the dust, be defeated, have the worst of it, lose the day, come off second best, lose, fall a prey to, succumb, not have a leg to stand on, come to nothing, end in smoke, flat out, fall to the ground, fall through, fall dead, fall stillborn, fall flat, slip through one's fingers, hang fire, miss fire, flash in the pan, collapse, topple down, go to wrack and ruin, go amiss, go wrong, go cross, go hard with, go on a wrong tack, go on ill, come off ill, turn out ill, work ill, take a wrong term, take an ugly term, take an ugly turn, take a turn for the worse, be all over with, be all up with, explode, dash one's hopes, defeat the purpose, sow the wind and reap the whirlwind, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, go from the frying pan into the fire.

Destruction

VB be destroyed, perish, fall to the ground, tumble, topple, go to pieces, fall to pieces, break up, crumble to dust, go to the dogs, go to the wall, go to smash, go to shivers, go to wreck, go to pot, go to wrack and ruin, go by the board, go all to smash, be all over, be all up, be all with, totter to its fall, destroy, do away with, make away with, nullify, annual, sacrifice, demolish, tear up, overturn, overthrow, overwhelm, upset, subvert, put an end to, seal the doom of, do in, do for, dish, undo, break up, cut up, break down, cut down, pull down, mow down, blow down, beat down, suppress, quash, put down, do a job on, cut short, take off, blot out, dispel, dissipate, dissolve, consume, smash, crash, quell, squash, squelch, crumple up, shatter, shiver, batter to pieces, tear to pieces, crush to pieces, cut to pieces, shake to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, laniate, nip, tear to rags, tear to tatters, crush to atoms, knock to atoms, ruin, strike out, throw over, knock down over, fell, sink, swamp, scuttle, wreck, shipwreck, engulf, ingulf, submerge, lay in ashes, lay in ruins, sweep away, erase, wipe out, expunge, raze, level with the dust, level with the ground, waste, atomize, vaporize, deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut, disorganize, dismantle, devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound, exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate, snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out, lay in the dust, trample in the dust, prostrate, tread under foot, crush under foot, trample under foot, lay the ax to the root of, make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of, cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons, fling to the winds, scatter to the winds, throw overboard, strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword, cast to the dogs, eradicate.

Descent

N descent, descension, declension, declination, fall, falling, slump, drop, plunge, plummet, cadence, subsidence, collapse, lapse, downfall, tumble, slip, tilt, trip, lurch, cropper, culbute, titubation, stumble, fate of Icarus, avalanche, debacle, landslip, landslide, declivity, dip, hill, rappel, descending, descendent, decurrent, decursive, labent, deciduous, nodding to its fall, downhill, downwards, the bottom fell out.

VB descend, go down, drop down, come down, fall, gravitate, drop, slip, slide, rappel, settle, plunge, plummet, crash, decline, set, sink, droop, come down a peg, slump, dismount, alight, light, get down, swoop, stoop, fall prostrate, precipitate oneself, let fall, tumble, trip, stumble, titubate, lurch, pitch, swag, topple, topple over, tumble over, topple down, tumble down, tilt, sprawl, plump down, come down a cropper.

Agitation

VB be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate, be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate.