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   Tum·ble

   /ˈtəmb(ə)l/

   

   verb

   • 1. (typically of a person) fall suddenly, clumsily, or headlong: "she pitched forward, tumbling down the remaining stairs" Similar fall (over)fall downtopple overlose one's footinglose one's balancekeel overpitch overtake a spillcollapsefall headlongfall head over heelsfall end over endtriptrip upstumbleinformal:come a cropperdated:measure one's lengtharchaic:grabble
   • ▪ move or rush in a headlong or uncontrolled way: "a group of kids tumbled from the vehicle and headed inside" Similar hurryrushscramblepilescurryscuttlejumpspringboundcascadefallstreamflowpourspill
   • ▪ (of something abstract) fall rapidly in amount or value: "property prices tumbled" Similar fall steeply/sharplyplummetplungedivenosedivetake a divefall off a cliffdrop rapidlyslumpslidefalldecreasedeclineinformal:crashgo into a tailspinOpposite risesoar
   • ▪ rumple; disarrange: "he slept fitfully for the third night in a row, tumbling the covers about him as he tried to get comfortable" Similar tousledishevelrufflerumplemake untidydisarrangedisordermess upinformal:muss (up)
   • 2. perform acrobatic or gymnastic exercises, typically handsprings and somersaults in the air.
   • ▪ (of tumbler pigeons) repeatedly turn over backward in flight.
   • 3. understand the meaning or hidden implication of (a situation): informal "she tumbled to our scam" Similar realizeunderstandgraspcomprehendtake inapprehendperceiveseerecognizesee the lightinformal:latch ontocotton ontocatch ontogetget wise toget one's head aroundfigure outget a fix onget the messageget the picturehave an aha momenttwigsusssavvy
   • 4. have sex with: informal "he was tumbling a strange woman"
   • 5. clean (castings, gemstones, etc.) in a tumbling barrel.

   noun

   • 1. a sudden or headlong fall: "I took a tumble in the nettles" Similar falltripspillinformal:nosediveheadercropper
   • ▪ a rapid fall in amount or value: "a tumble in share prices" Similar dropfallplungedivenosediveslumpdeclinecollapseinformal:crashOpposite rise
   • ▪ an untidy or confused arrangement or state: "her hair was a tumble of untamed curls" Similar jumblemessclutterconfusionchaosdisorderdisarray
   • 2. a handspring, somersault in the air, or other acrobatic feat.
   • 3. an act or instance of having sex. informal
   • 4. a friendly sign of recognition, acknowledgment, or interest: informal US "not a soul gave him a tumble"

   Word Origin Middle English (as a verb, also in the sense ‘dance with contortions’): from Middle Low German tummelen; compare with Old English tumbian ‘to dance’. The sense was probably influenced by Old French tomber ‘to fall’. The noun, first in the sense ‘tangled mass’, dates from the mid 17th century.

   Scrabble Points: 10

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