rumble
verb/ˈrʌmbl/
/ˈrʌmbl/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they rumble | /ˈrʌmbl/ /ˈrʌmbl/ |
| he / she / it rumbles | /ˈrʌmblz/ /ˈrʌmblz/ |
| past simple rumbled | /ˈrʌmbld/ /ˈrʌmbld/ |
| past participle rumbled | /ˈrʌmbld/ /ˈrʌmbld/ |
| -ing form rumbling | /ˈrʌmblɪŋ/ /ˈrʌmblɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to make a long deep sound or series of sounds
- The machine rumbled as it started up.
- thunder rumbling in the distance
- I'm so hungry my stomach's rumbling.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to move slowly and heavily, making a rumbling sound
- tanks rumbling through the streets
- The train rumbled nearer.
- [transitive] rumble somebody (British English, informal) to discover the truth about somebody or what they are trying to hide
- They knew they had been rumbled.
- [intransitive] (North American English, informal) (of a gang of young people) to fight against another gang
Word Originlate Middle English: probably from Middle Dutch rommelen, rummelen, of imitative origin. Sense 3 of the verb may be a different word.
Check pronunciation:
rumble