VocabauraVOCABAURA

tumbler

noun

Simple meaning

A glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tuhmbler

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtʌmblɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem; originally had a round bottom

  2. A drinking glass that has no stem, foot, or handle — so called because such glasses originally had a pointed or convex base and could not be set down without spilling. This compelled the drinker to finish their measure.

  3. A beverage cup, typically made of stainless steel, that is broad at the top and narrow at the bottom commonly used in India.

  4. A movable obstruction in a lock that must be adjusted to a given position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown

  5. A variety of the domestic pigeon remarkable for its habit of tumbling, or turning somersaults, during its flight.

  6. Pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Uncommon

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem; originally had a round bottom

Used this way, tumbler is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “tumbler”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Glass / drinking

glass tumbler

Movable

tumbler lock

Rotating

small tumbler

Other combinations

large tumblerempty tumblerpin tumblertumbler halfwater tumbler

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • tumbleverbBase word

    Fall down, as if collapsing.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • tumbler pigeonnounCompound term

    Pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground.

  • lever tumblernounCompound term

    A flat metal tumbler in a lever lock.

  • pin tumblernounCompound term

    Cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Keep learning “tumbler” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.

Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.

Know the meaning? Practice vocabulary in real situations.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.