tumbling

Verb

tumble (third-person singular simple present tumbles, present participle tumbling, simple past and past participle tumbled)

1. (intransitive) To fall end over end; to roll over and over.
   • He who tumbles from a tower surely has a greater blow than he who slides from a molehill.1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London
2. (transitive) To throw headlong.
   • His hand went after his revolver almost that instant mine did. I was a second too quick for him, for my shot tumbled him from his mule just as his ball whistled harmlessly past by my head.1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 42
3. (intransitive) To perform gymnastics such as somersaults, rolls, and handsprings.
4. (intransitive) To drop rapidly.
   • Share prices tumbled after the revelation about the company's impending failure.
5. (transitive) To smooth and polish (e.g. gemstones or pebbles) by means of a rotating tumbler.
6. (informal, intransitive) To have sexual intercourse.

   Synonyms:

   bump uglies, have sex, roll around, approach, cohabit, common, company, copulate, couple, engage in sex

See all 14 meanings of tumble