as in falling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily
the tower of blocks toppled even though I bumped into it ever so slightly
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Recent Examples of toppling
Such toppling energy may be necessary for Ionesco’s vision to spontaneously ignite into antic life.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Dash camera video from inside the truck shows the moment of impact and appears to show the truck toppling onto its side.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Coach Scott Bemand turned his attention to toppling France in France for the first time next Saturday.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The results showed that seventy-nine percent support some form of intervention, with some favoring toppling the regime and others wanting to deal with the humanitarian crisis, highlighting a range of priorities within the community.
—Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Whether that victory translates to an incumbent-toppling result in June remains to be seen.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
The metal supports keep the stems tight to the base of the plant, so when the flower heads get to their heaviest, the peony still retains a tight, bouquet shape without toppling over.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2026
One of the horses tripped over a curb and fell over, toppling over its rider before running off.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Dash camera video from inside the truck shows the moment of impact and appears to show the truck toppling onto its side.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Coach Scott Bemand turned his attention to toppling France in France for the first time next Saturday.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The results showed that seventy-nine percent support some form of intervention, with some favoring toppling the regime and others wanting to deal with the humanitarian crisis, highlighting a range of priorities within the community.
—Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Whether that victory translates to an incumbent-toppling result in June remains to be seen.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
The metal supports keep the stems tight to the base of the plant, so when the flower heads get to their heaviest, the peony still retains a tight, bouquet shape without toppling over.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2026
One of the horses tripped over a curb and fell over, toppling over its rider before running off.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toppling
Verb
-
The magnificent luminosity of the orbs announced their arrival, their glow falling unfamiliar against windowpanes, which drew the people to the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The mismatch between workers and available jobs—a key barometer of labor market stress—has actually improved since that moment, falling below its pre-pandemic level.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
In a video shared on Facebook by comedian Mike Goldstein, the man can be seen stumbling out of the bathroom while still fastening his belt.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
Arriving at Badlands National Park feels like stumbling upon Mars.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Yet the film keeps tripping itself up.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Firstman plays Peter, a drug-happy party promoter tripping the light fantastic in New York.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Each of them is slipping behind.—
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
Stock futures are slipping before the bell after a positive session yesterday.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
And that’s what sent me sort of tumbling down the rabbit hole.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
16 May 2026
-
The resulting brawl saw the alligator rapidly tumbling at the officers like a log rolling down hill.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toppling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toppling. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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