1 tumbrel | Definition of tumbrel
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tumbrel

noun
tum·​brel | \ ˈtəm-brəl How to pronounce tumbrel (audio) \
variants: or tumbril

Definition of tumbrel

1 : a farm tipcart
2 : a vehicle carrying condemned persons (such as political prisoners during the French Revolution) to a place of execution

Examples of tumbrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 All of a sudden women recoiled, the ethos tilted, and now the tumbrel is moving briskly through Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Capitol Hill, and beyond, carrying lechers, perverts, and boors into job-threatening disgrace. — Alessandra Stanley, Town & Country, "Could 2018 Be the Year of the Gentleman?," 3 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tumbrel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tumbrel

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for tumbrel

Middle English tomrel, from Old French (tomberel, from tomber to tumble, perhaps of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German tūmōn to reel — more at tumble

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More from Merriam-Webster on tumbrel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tumbrel

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