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   tumble

   /ˈtʌmbl/

   verb

   • 1. 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
   • ▪ 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 feats, typically handsprings and somersaults in the air.
   • ▪ (of a breed of pigeon) repeatedly turn over backwards in flight.
   • 3. dry (washing) in a tumble dryer: "the machine gentle tumbles the clothes in cool air for ten minutes"
   • 4. understand the meaning or hidden implication of (a situation): informal "she'll ring again as soon as she tumbles to what she's done" Similar realizeunderstandgraspcomprehendtake inapprehendperceiveseerecognizesee the lightinformal:latch on tocotton on tocatch on togetget wise toget one's head aroundfigure outget a fix onget the messageget the picturehave an aha momenttwigsusssavvy
   • 5. have sex with: informal "he was tumbling a strange woman"
   • 6. 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, acknowledgement, 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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