as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
while we were out on a drive in the country, we tumbled upon a farm stand selling the best peaches I've ever tasted
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumble (upon)
Verb
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Fears that a serial killer is at large were reignited by the recent discovery of a body in a Texas lake, where 19 corpses have been found over the past three years.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025 -
If finding indoor shelter is not an option: Stay away from open fields, hill summits, or ridge tops.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Domestic cats descend from desert-dwelling ancestors who rarely encountered large bodies of water.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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Yankees supporters are accustomed to Dodger Stadium being hostile ground, but being hit by a chunk of concrete falling from the stadium ceiling is beyond what fans steel themselves to encounter.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
Verb
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With a black brace on his left arm, Steele met with reporters in the home clubhouse before Tuesday’s 4-3 11-inning win over the Colorado Rockies, publicly addressing his future for the first time since the operation.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Carney, the new prime minister and a former head of the Bank of England, and Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, the king’s representative in Canada, met with Charles on Monday.—
Rob Gillies,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Particularly nowadays, as science becomes more open and accessible to everyone, such arcane vocabulary can come across as old-fashioned and elitist.—
Nicholas Green,
The Conversation,
3 June 2025
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John Densmore, the legendary drummer for the Doors, recalls coming across a classic rock station one night that bragged about a contest on who currently has the most money in rock and roll.—
David Chiu,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tumble (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumble%20%28upon%29. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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