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TUMBLING
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The gymnastic moves of an acrobat
Synonyms:
acrobatics; tumbling
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("tumbling" is a kind of...):
gymnastic exercise; gymnastics (a sport that involves exercises intended to display strength and balance and agility)
Meronyms (parts of "tumbling"):
acrobatic feat; acrobatic stunt (a stunt performed by an acrobat)
Derivation:
tumble (do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb tumble
Context examples:
As quick as lightning the man's head shot forward and his neck stretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck the Scarecrow in the middle and sent him tumbling, over and over, down the hill.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
It was quiet enough to reassure me, but I have no doubt if I had seen a moderately large wave come tumbling in, I should have taken to my heels, with an awful recollection of her drowned relations.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Mrs. Price, Rebecca, and Betsey all went up to defend themselves, all talking together, but Rebecca loudest, and the job was to be done as well as it could in a great hurry; William trying in vain to send Betsey down again, or keep her from being troublesome where she was; the whole of which, as almost every door in the house was open, could be plainly distinguished in the parlour, except when drowned at intervals by the superior noise of Sam, Tom, and Charles chasing each other up and down stairs, and tumbling about and hallooing.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
Here you find us; and we cannot wonder that you, who are new to tumbling, should be astounded, since many great barons, earls, marshals and knights, who have wandered as far as the Holy Land, are of one mind in saying that they have never seen a more noble or gracious performance.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The jibs I speedily doused and brought tumbling to the deck, but the main-sail was a harder matter.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
This was a truly thrilling scene, though some persons might have thought that the sudden tumbling down of a quantity of long red hair rather marred the effect of the villain's death.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
On this point Sir John could give more certain intelligence; and he told them that Mr. Willoughby had no property of his own in the country; that he resided there only while he was visiting the old lady at Allenham Court, to whom he was related, and whose possessions he was to inherit; adding, Yes, yes, he is very well worth catching I can tell you, Miss Dashwood; he has a pretty little estate of his own in Somersetshire besides; and if I were you, I would not give him up to my younger sister, in spite of all this tumbling down hills.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
The night was not so pleasant as the evening, for it got chilly; and being put between two gentlemen (the rough-faced one and another) to prevent my tumbling off the coach, I was nearly smothered by their falling asleep, and completely blocking me up.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter!
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Here I sat for some time, five hundred yards from the ground, expecting every moment to be blown down by the wind, or to fall by my own giddiness, and come tumbling over and over from the ridge to the eaves; but an honest lad, one of my nurse’s footmen, climbed up, and putting me into his breeches pocket, brought me down safe.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
