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tumble

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: tumble

1
vn
fall down, as if collapsing
a sudden drop from an upright position
2
v
fly around
3
nv
an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end
do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully
4
v
understand, usually after some initial difficulty
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: tumble
1

v fall down, as if collapsing

“The tower of the World Trade Center tumbled after the plane hit it”
Synonyms:
topple
Types:
keel over
turn over and fall
Type of:
come down, descend, fall, go down
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

v cause to topple or tumble by pushing

Synonyms:
tip, topple
Type of:
force, push
move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"

v fall apart

Synonyms:
break down, collapse, crumble, crumple
Type of:
change integrity
change in physical make-up

v fall suddenly and sharply

“Prices tumbled after the devaluation of the currency”
Type of:
drop
go down in value

v suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat

Type of:
decline, worsen
grow worse

v throw together in a confused mass

“They tumbled the teams with no apparent pattern”
Type of:
jumble, scramble, throw together
bring into random order

n a sudden drop from an upright position

Synonyms:
fall, spill
Types:
pratfall
a fall onto your buttocks
wipeout
a spill in some sport (as a fall from a bicycle or while skiing or being capsized on a surfboard)
Type of:
slip, trip
an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall
2

v fly around

“The clothes tumbled in the dryer”
Synonyms:
whirl, whirl around
Type of:
move
move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion

v roll over and over, back and forth

Type of:
roll over
make a rolling motion or turn

v 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”
Type of:
toss
agitate
3

n an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end

Types:
flip, somersault, somersaulting, somerset, summersault, summerset
an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return
flip-flop
a backward somersault
Type of:
acrobatic feat, acrobatic stunt
a stunt performed by an acrobat

v do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully

Types:
roll
execute a roll, in tumbling
Type of:
exercise, work out
do physical exercise
4

v understand, usually after some initial difficulty

Synonyms:
catch on, cotton on, get it, get onto, get wise, latch on, twig
Type of:
apprehend, compass, comprehend, dig, get the picture, grasp, grok, savvy
get the meaning of something
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