# rumble

Pronunciation: say "RUM-buhl" /ˈɹʌm b(ə)l/

## Noun

1. A deep, heavy sound that continues steadily, such as distant thunder or a growling stomach.
   - Simple: A low, deep sound that keeps going, like thunder or a hungry stomach.
   - _A deep rumble rolled across the valley before the rain began._
   - _His empty stomach gave a loud rumble during the meeting._
4. A street fight or brawl, especially one between rival groups. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A fight between groups of people in the street.
   - _The whole block still talks about the rumble that emptied the bar._
   - _Rival crews settled their feud in a rumble down by the docks._

## Verb

2. To produce a low, heavy, continuous sound.
   - Simple: To make a low, deep sound that keeps going.
   - _The engine rumbled steadily as it idled in the cold._
   - _Distant guns rumble across the plain at night._
3. To move along while producing a low, rumbling sound.
   - Simple: To move along while making a low, deep sound.
   - _The freight train rumbled through the valley after midnight._
   - _Tanks rumble through the streets during the parade._
5. To vibrate in order to provide haptic feedback, as a game controller does.
   - Simple: To shake or vibrate, the way a game controller does to give feedback.
   - _Modern controllers rumble to signal collisions and explosions._
   - _The handset rumbled softly as the engine revved on screen._
6. To take part in a street fight or brawl. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To fight, usually in a group out on the street.
   - _The crews rumbled behind the warehouse last night._
   - _Disrespect them and they will rumble without a second thought._
8. To discover that someone is being deceitful or acting in an underhanded way.
   - Simple: To find out that someone is lying or cheating.
   - _Detectives eventually rumbled the forger's elaborate con._
   - _She can rumble a liar within minutes of meeting him._

## Interjection

7. Used in writing to imitate a low, heavy, continuous sound.
   - Simple: Used to imitate a low, rolling sound, like thunder.
   - _Far away, the thunder went rumble, rumble, rumble._
   - _Rumble! went the avalanche far above the sleeping village._

## Verb

9. To murmur or ripple, making a soft, low, flowing sound. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make a soft, low sound like gently moving water.

## Noun

10. A seat fixed behind the body of a carriage, intended for servants. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A seat at the back of a carriage where servants sat.
   - _The valet perched in the rumble as the carriage rolled through town._
   - _She glimpsed the groom seated in the rumble behind her uncle's coach._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A rotating cask or box that smooths or polishes small articles by friction as they tumble against one another.
- (verb) To smooth or polish small articles by passing them through a rotating polishing machine.

## Origin

Built from romen ("to roar") with the frequentative ending -le, so in effect rome plus -le, the word appeared in Middle English as rumblen, romblen or rummelyn. Danish rumle, Dutch rommelen, German rumpeln ("to be noisy") and Low German rummeln are its cognates, and all of them began as imitations of the sound.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rumble (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).