tumble down

tumble down

1. To collapse or come falling downward. He tripped on the wire running across the hallway and went tumbling down the stairs. The tower came tumbling down after the demolition crews set off the explosive charges.
2. To fall from a high rank or a position of power. That surprise loss sees the former champion tumble down from 1st to 6th place in the tournament leaderboards. The scandal brought the prime minister tumbling down from power. Stock prices have continued tumbling down as the president refuses to rule out a trade war with other nations.
See also: down, tumble
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

tumble someone or something down something

to tip or push someone or something down something. Timmy tumbled his brother down the hill. Ann tumbled her laundry down the chute.
See also: down, tumble

tumble down

to fall down; to topple. The old barn was so rickety that it almost tumbled down on its own. The pile of books tumbled down all over the floor.
See also: down, tumble
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

tumble down

v.
1. To topple, as from power or a high position; fall: That horse started out the race in the lead, but tumbled down to fifth place.
2. To collapse: The wall tumbled down when I leaned on it.
See also: down, tumble
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • come a gutser
  • be down to (one)
  • be down to somebody/something
  • be down to something
  • be down to (do something)
  • bounce up and down
  • close down
  • close down and shut down
  • come a cropper
  • come a-cropper
References in periodicals archive
It can also be grown as ground cover to tumble down banks or to spill over the edges of raised beds.
Is Jasmine a shady lady? TRICKS of the TRADE
The weather washed out play on all courts yesterday as hardy soles fought to get their umbrellas up to only watch the rain tumble down. To add insult to injury the hardy crowd had to endure re-runs of Sir Cliff's infamous and impromptu Centre Court concert of 1996.
Tennis: Wimbledon 2004: RAIN, WIND AND.. OH NO, SIR CLIFF ON THE BIG SCREEN
The flat black rectangle of Swan Dive (all works 2001) contains a set of barely legible letters that spell out "GREAT" and then seem to stutter the word as they tumble down the face of the painting.
ANGSTROM GALLERY
When a wet slab begins to slide, it won't rush or tumble down a mountain.
How an Avalanche Forms
They tumble down to earth and, with a flurry of wingbeats, they shoot back up into the sky.
Pets: Birdwatch - Roll up for the woodcock's amazing acrobatic display
The falls tumble down from a billion-year-old escarpment that was once a sea cliff.
Undiscovered Australia
Dazed and reeling from the invisible Plexiglass blow, you tumble down to the Quotidian Quagmire, the trap of everyday experience.
Dealing with muddle-headed Mutant Ninja communicators
It caused that climber to take a similar tumble down the mountainside.
Two airlifted to hospital after fall on mountain
A CLIMBER had an amazing escape yesterday when he survived a 600ft tumble down Snowdon.
600ft FALL SURVIVOR
Insp Colin Nixon, of Durham Police, said today: "We're investigating the circumstances as to how the woman took the tumble down the cliffs.
Police probe fall from cliffs
But my impression is that the whole rotten structure of racial quotas is going to tumble down rapidly, given the speed with which the California Civil Rights Initiative has injected the issue into the political process.
The Next American Nation
said: "We can't afford to slacken off as two defeats would see us tumble down the table."
Ice Hockey: Eagles soar
Without the force exerted by your muscles, for example, your body would tumble down.
The world's most fantastic falls