tumbling

American

[tuhm-bling] / ˈtʌm blɪŋ /

noun

the act, practice, or art of performing acrobatic tumbles, usually on a mat or the ground.

First recorded in 1375–1425, tumbling is from the late Middle English word tomblyng. See tumble, -ing ¹

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So while Leicester tried to stay still, they ended up tumbling backwards.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

The merger effort had dismayed investors, who sent Netflix shares tumbling as much as 30%.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Instead, we talked for hours, our words tumbling over each other like we’d been rehearsing for years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"And we'll be doing that very soon, and they'll come tumbling down."

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

On that last tumbling pass, I'd crunched my ankles on the landing, and now my right one was aching.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023