tumbler

/ˈtʌmb(ə)lər/

/ˈtʌmblə/

Other forms: tumblers

The noun tumbler can refer either to an acrobat who performs gymnastic tricks or to a tall drinking glass with straight sides. If you own a lot of glass tumblers, you probably shouldn't let a troupe of tumblers practice back flips in your kitchen.

Gymnasts are often called tumblers because they are skilled at tumbling, namely skills like round-offs, flips, aerials, and back handsprings. When an object is a tumbler, it's simply a drinking glass. Though today's drinking tumblers have flat bottoms, back in the 15th century they were rounded or pointed and couldn't be set down between drinks, or else they would topple over — or tumble.

Definitions of tumbler

1. noun

   a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
   types:

   turner

   a tumbler who is a member of a turnverein

   type of:

   gymnast

   an athlete who is skilled in gymnastics
2. noun

   pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground
   synonyms: roller, tumbler pigeon

   type of:

   domestic pigeon

   domesticated pigeon raised for sport or food
3. noun

   a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem; originally had a round bottom
   type of:

   drinking glass, glass

   a container for holding liquids while drinking
4. noun

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

   lever, lever tumbler

   a flat metal tumbler in a lever lock

   pin, pin tumbler

   cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs; when they are aligned with a key the bolt can be thrown

   type of:

   impediment, impedimenta, obstructer, obstruction, obstructor

   any structure that makes progress difficult