From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtumbletum‧ble1 /ˈtʌmbəl/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] 1 [always + adverb/preposition]FALL to fall down quickly and suddenly, especially with a rolling movementtumble over/backwards/down She lost her balance and tumbled backwards. A few stones came tumbling down the cliff.2 [always + adverb/preposition]FALL to move in an uncontrolled waytumble into/through/out etc We tumbled out into the street.3 LESSif prices or figures tumble, they go down suddenly and by a large amount Oil prices have tumbled.tumble to Mortgage rates tumbled to their lowest level for 25 years.4 [always + adverb/preposition] literaryHBH if someone’s hair tumbles down, it is long, thick, and curly Her long dark hair tumbled over her shoulders.5 literary if words tumble out of someone’s mouth, they speak very quickly because they are excited or upsettumble out/over The words tumbled out as if he hardly knew what to say first. 6 [always + adverb/preposition] if water tumbles somewhere, it flows there quickly A narrow stream tumbled over the rocks.7 → come tumbling down8 American EnglishDSO to do tumbling→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
tumble• On October 19,1987, the stock market tumbled 508 points.• Music had cleansed him as a river cleans a gorge through which it tumbles.• Sara hated to think of how she herself must appear with her face devoid of make-up and her hair tumbled.• Charsky catapulted into a rocky obstruction after tumbling a thousand feet or so.• A little girl tumbled about 30 feet from the window of her family's third-floor apartment.• Then the loosened masonry began to tumble again.• Grace's blonde hair tumbled down her back.• A bus veered off the road and tumbled down the hill into the river below.• She tumbled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom.• The movement only made it worse and the world continued to tumble for long seconds after.• Some tumbled off and ran no further.• Collins laid the attaché case on the low table, consulted the slip of paper and tumbled the rollers.tumble over/backwards/down• Then the stage came tumbling down.• In the rivermouth of Berwick he tumbled down, drinking the waves.• People were tumbling over each other for new dentures.• They tumbled down, flattening me into a posture altogether too familiar.• He watched a huge white mountain collapse and come tumbling down on him.• In the other direction craggy peaks loomed like soaring granite castles, with crystalline blue glaciers spilling and tumbling down their flanks.• The tumbling pigeons rose up and tumbled down, their white wings bright in the sunlight.tumble into/through/out etc• This debate easily tumbles into a narrow institutional and constitutional approach to power and politics.• You may sense that your words are tumbling out into a kind of void.• From my second-floor vantage point I could see my classmates as they tumbled out into the quad playing catch with my shoes.• They tumble out of campers, erect tripods and hoist arm-length lenses.• Lincoln tumbled out of the car after me.• For once the theory of plate tectonics took shape, a series of implications for the deep earth quickly tumbled into place.• He tumbled through the air and stopped.• The words tumbled out with such stumbling sincerity that she looked at him, the ice in her eyes melting.tumble out/over• At first he faltered, and then the words came tumbling out.• The sword splits the tree in half and Adonis tumbles out.• People were tumbling over each other for new dentures.• You may sense that your words are tumbling out into a kind of void.• From my second-floor vantage point I could see my classmates as they tumbled out into the quad playing catch with my shoes.• Great white clouds rolled above us, tumbling over the mountain summit as if eager to find quieter air.• The words tumbled out with such stumbling sincerity that she looked at him, the ice in her eyes melting.tumbletumble2 noun [countable] FALLa fall, especially from a high place or level It’s possible that stocks could take a tumble next year. → rough and tumbleExamples from the Corpus
tumble• That's quite a tumble you took.• With its glass-reinforced-plastic exterior, the Minipod probably could survive such a tumble.• Payton, meanwhile, took a tumble to the floor and had Mark Bryant fall on him, bruising his back.• This started a real rough and tumble, with people falling or being pushed to the ground amongst the debris.• This soft green womb formed an oasis of peace in the chaotic tumble that was Fashion Avenue.• In certain light the sea goes green, a slow dullish tumble he watches from the deck.• In the doorway stands 2-year-old Davell Payne, a few feet from a potentially fatal tumble down the stairwell.• Creed tripped over something lying in the grass and even his head-over-heels tumble seemed lazy and unreal.take a tumble• Payton, meanwhile, took a tumble to the floor and had Mark Bryant fall on him, bruising his back.• The prejudice of several centuries is about to take a tumble.From Longman Business Dictionarytumbletum‧ble /ˈtʌmbəl/ verb [intransitive] journalism if prices, figures etc tumble, they go down suddenly and by a large amountStock market prices have tumbled over the past week. —tumble noun [countable usually singular]The announcement sparked a 10% tumble in the company’s stock price.→ See Verb tableOrigin tumble1 (1200-1300) tumb “to dance, perform as a tumbler” ((11-14 centuries)), from Old English tumbian 