1 C1 informal
To rise from a lying or sitting position in a clumsy, hasty manner.
"He tumbled up out of bed when he heard the alarm and rushed to the door."
inseparable
tumble up
C1 informal inseparable intransitive
To rise or come up in a clumsy, hasty, or uncontrolled manner; (nautical) to come up on deck quickly.
In plain English
To get up quickly and clumsily, or (on a ship) to hurry up onto the deck.
What does "tumble up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 neutral
(nautical, dated) To come up onto the deck of a ship quickly, usually in response to an order.
"The boatswain shouted for all hands to tumble up immediately."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To roll or fall in an upward direction.
Actually means
To get up quickly and clumsily, or (on a ship) to hurry up onto the deck.
Usage tip
Rare in modern everyday speech. The nautical sense ('all hands tumble up!') appears in older naval literature. The general sense of rising clumsily survives in informal use but is uncommon.
Words that pair with "tumble up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
deck stairs bed quickly crew morning
How to conjugate "tumble up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
tumble up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tumbles up
he/she/it
Past simple
tumbled up
yesterday
Past participle
tumbled up
have + pp
-ing form
tumbling up
continuous
Hear "tumble up" in the wild
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