Definition

Verb: 1. To turn or fall from an upright or normal position; to capsize or overturn. 2. To cause something to turn from an upright or normal position; to knock over.

Usage and Examples

• Intransitive Verb (to fall over):
  • The canoe tumped over in the rough water.
  • Be careful, that stack of books might tump over!
• Transitive Verb (to knock something over):
  • He accidentally tumped over his glass of water.
  • The dog ran through the room and tumped over the lamp.

Advanced Usage Notes

• "Tump over" is primarily used in informal or regional American English, particularly in the Southern United States. It is less common in formal writing.
• It often describes an accidental or clumsy action resulting in something tipping over.

Variants and Related Words

• Overturn (verb): A more standard synonym for both causing something to fall over and for something falling over.
• Tip over (phrasal verb): A very common synonym with identical meaning and usage.
• Knock over (phrasal verb): Specifically means to cause something to fall over, usually by hitting it.
• Upset (verb): Can mean to overturn or capsize (e.g., ).

Synonyms

• Overturn
• Tip over
• Knock over
• Upset
• Capsize (specifically for boats)
• Topple

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Turn over: Can be synonymous with "tump over" in the sense of causing something to rotate and fall (e.g., ). It has many other, more common meanings (e.g., to change channels, to give something to someone).
• Fall over: The intransitive form meaning to tumble or tip onto its side.

Verb

1. turn from an upright or normal position
   • The big vase overturned
   • The canoe tumped over
2. cause to overturn from an upright or normal position
   • The cat knocked over the flower vase
   • the clumsy customer turned over the vase
   • he tumped over his beer