TOPPLING Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

toppling

verb

present participle of topple

as in falling

to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily the tower of blocks toppled even though I bumped into it ever so slightly

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of toppling And while some don’t want to wait that long to have the chance of toppling Infantino, the current FIFA boss does have some support swimming in the sea of objectors. — Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 The vehicle even remained intact after toppling over, a feat none of its predecessors had pulled off. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Engineers expected the ship’s life to end with a fiery disintegration after toppling over, just as past Starships have done following splashdown. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026 Henry County officials are also investigating a possible tornado that moved through New Castle, Indiana, on Wednesday, toppling trees and ripping the roof off a commercial building. — Michelle Simmons, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won the Democratic primary race for Wisconsin’s governorship, toppling his Democratic socialist opponent, Francesca Hong, who had surged in the polls leading up to Tuesday. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 12 Aug. 2026 The Marlins were an offensive force Saturday evening, toppling the Los Angeles Angels 7-0 while totaling nine hits. — Tyler M. Carmona, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026 The foul weather sent trees toppling across the city, including on the Upper West Side in Manhattan and in Woodside, Queens, where a food truck was struck by a fallen tree, according to ABC. — Theodore Parisienne, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026 Watkins explains that cutting the roots can also make the tree less stable and increase its risk of wind damage or toppling in a storm. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 2 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toppling

Verb

In 2008, a fake story online about Jobs’ death sent Apple stock (AAPL) falling 9%.

— Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
City officials said on Instagram that city crews have removed electrical lines mounted to nearby palm trees that are at risk of falling.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of falling

Verb

Unlike other festivals, where audiences can be more forgiving, stumbling out of the gate at Venice can prove impossible for a contender to recover from.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Analysis from Zeki Data shows that where OpenAI and Anthropic are making gains in the AI talent market, Google DeepMind (and to some extent Meta) are stumbling.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

The nearly two-minute spot depicts a club-wielding bureaucrat chasing and tripping a child on a bike and another stealing a boy’s scooter.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
The boy was outside by himself for a total of nine minutes and had fallen into the pool after tripping over an inflatable chair, the report added.

— Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of tripping

Verb

The 49ers, an otherwise good team, have for the past couple of months been weaving and slipping bad news like a boxer trying to avoid a knockout punch.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
The campaign showcases Diesel’s creased denim treated with resin, 3-D denim, trompe l’oeil cable knit denim and the new regular-fit D-Heel jean, which has hidden vertical slits near the ankle, perfect for slipping through a stiletto heel.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of slipping

Verb

Furthermore, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index retreated significantly from the record high set in the previous session, tumbling nearly 8% overnight to mark its largest single-day loss since June 5.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Their cheap convenience and ubiquity in restaurant service is a big reason any person with a food or food-adjacent job (including just about everybody who works at this magazine) has a collection of these tumbling around in their cabinets.

— Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of tumbling

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topples

toppling

tops

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“Toppling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toppling. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of toppling

verb

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