as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
lived alone on a tumbledown farm that had seen better days
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Recent Examples of tumbledown
Just a couple minutes off Interstate 10 near Dragoon is the tumbledown terrain of Texas Canyon, where a network of easy trails has opened.
—
Jill Cassidy, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2025
All except a few dozen hardy souls who formed the historical society and began patching the scars of this tumbledown town.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
The project is in a tumbledown section of Oildale, situated between an optical lens store and aquatic pet shop.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The pictures within chronicle a turbulent half decade in the lives of Billingham’s family members, who reside in a tumbledown tower-block apartment in the town of Cradley Heath.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tumbledown
Jill Cassidy, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2025
All except a few dozen hardy souls who formed the historical society and began patching the scars of this tumbledown town.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
The project is in a tumbledown section of Oildale, situated between an optical lens store and aquatic pet shop.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The pictures within chronicle a turbulent half decade in the lives of Billingham’s family members, who reside in a tumbledown tower-block apartment in the town of Cradley Heath.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 29 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tumbledown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumbledown
Adjective
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Longtime Oak Lawn Village Board member Timothy Desmond has resigned from his post to enter into a contract with the village through his home building company to restore dilapidated properties, with the goal of putting them back on the tax rolls.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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The newborn lived in a dank and dilapidated enclosure alongside seven other lions, including his parents, Kim and Carl, said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane World for Animals Canada, whose organization helped shut down the zoo and rescue the lions.—
Andrea Sachs,
Washington Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For patients living with rare and neglected diseases, the next breakthrough treatment might already be sitting in a pharmaceutical company’s filing cabinet.—
Annette Bakker,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
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When first performed at L.A. Opera a decade ago, the lavish production, co-produced with English National Opera, helped recover a neglected opera.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tumbledown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumbledown. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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