ˈtʌmbl 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. øtumble-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. [ME tumbel f. MLG tummelen, OHG tumalon
frequent. of tumon:
cf. OE tumbian dance]