tumbler

[tuhm-bler]

noun

1. a person who performs leaps, somersaults, and other bodily feats.

2. (in a lock) any locking or checking part that, when lifted or released by the action of a key or the like, allows the bolt to move.

3. a stemless drinking glass having a flat, often thick bottom.

4. (in a gunlock) a leverlike piece that by the action of a spring forces the hammer forward when released by the trigger.

5. Machinery.

   1. a part moving a gear into place in a selective transmission.

   2. a single cog or cam on a rotating shaft, transmitting motion to a part with which it engages.

6. a tumbling box or barrel.

7. a person who operates a tumbling box or barrel.

8. one of a breed of dogs resembling a small greyhound, used formerly in hunting rabbits.

9. Also called roller. one of a breed of domestic pigeons noted for the habit of tumbling backward in flight.

10. a toy, usually representing a fat, squatting figure, that is weighted and rounded at the bottom so as to rock when touched.

11. a tumbrel or tumble cart.

tumbler

/ ˈtʌmblə /

noun

1. 1. a flat-bottomed drinking glass with no handle or stem. Originally, a tumbler had a round or pointed base and so could not stand upright

   2. Also called: tumblerful. the contents or quantity such a glass holds

2. a person, esp a professional entertainer, who performs somersaults and other acrobatic feats

3. another name for tumble dryer

4. Also called: tumbling box. a pivoted box or drum rotated so that the contents (usually inferior gemstones) tumble about and become smooth and polished

5. the part of a lock that retains or releases the bolt and is moved by the action of a key

6. a lever in a gunlock that receives the action of the mainspring when the trigger is pressed and thus forces the hammer forwards

7. 1. a part that moves a gear in a train of gears into and out of engagement

   2. a single cog or cam that transmits motion to the part with which it engages

8. a toy, often a doll, that is so weighted that it rocks when touched

9. (often capital) a breed of domestic pigeon kept for exhibition or flying. The performing varieties execute backward somersaults in flight

Word History and Origins

Origin of tumbler¹

1300–50; Middle English: acrobat; tumble, -er ¹. Compare Low German tümeler drinking-cup, kind of pigeon

Example Sentences

The drink was a Laphroaig whisky - a smoky, peaty Scottish malt, like pouring a wistful but rather melancholy highland walk into a tumbler.

From BBC

There’s flour in the air and drinks in tumblers.

From Salon

The double-cased crystal tumblers, which feature the Harmonie collection’s signature parallel vertical cuts, offer the perfect toasting glasses for a summer of celebrations.

From Los Angeles Times

This one is an impeccably dressed lawyer who is often armed with a tumbler of whiskey.

From Los Angeles Times

But the people who bring his family carafes of vodka and fancy tumblers do.

From Salon

Related Words

• beaker 
• canteen 
• carafe 
• chalice 
• decanter 
• jug 
• urn 
• vial