From Middle English rumblen, romblen, rummelyn, frequentative form of romen (“to roar”), equivalent to rome + -le. Cognate with Dutch rommelen (“to rumble”), Low German rummeln (“to rumble”), German rumpeln (“to be noisy”), Danish rumle (“to rumble”), all of imitative origin.
Compare typologically Russian громи́ть (gromítʹ), погро́м (pogróm), разгро́м (razgróm) (akin to гром (grom), греме́ть (gremétʹ), громыха́ть (gromyxátʹ)). Also compare гро́хнуть (gróxnutʹ) (akin to гро́хот (gróxot)).
From Middle English rumblen, romblen, rummelyn, frequentative form of romen (“to roar”), equivalent to rome + -le. Cognate with Dutch rommelen (“to rumble”), Low German rummeln (“to rumble”), German rumpeln (“to be noisy”), Danish rumle (“to rumble”), all of imitative origin.
Compare typologically Russian громи́ть (gromítʹ), погро́м (pogróm), разгро́м (razgróm) (akin to гром (grom), греме́ть (gremétʹ), громыха́ть (gromyxátʹ)). Also compare гро́хнуть (gróxnutʹ) (akin to гро́хот (gróxot)).
Meanings
A low, heavy, continuous sound, such as that of thunder or a hungry stomach.
The rumble from passing trucks made it hard to sleep at night.
(slang) A street fight or brawl.
A rotating cask or box in which small articles are smoothed or polished by friction against each other.
(dated) A seat for servants, behind the body of a carriage.
Kit, well wrapped, […] was in the rumble behind. 1840-1841, Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey's Clock:
"I never was so sorry for any thing as for Mr. Glentworth's death," said Isabella Granard, endeavouring to screen her face from a small, sharp rain, to which her place in the rumble of a travelling carriage left her quite exposed. 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 2:
From Middle English rumblen, romblen, rummelyn, frequentative form of romen (“to roar”), equivalent to rome + -le. Cognate with Dutch rommelen (“to rumble”), Low German rummeln (“to rumble”), German rumpeln (“to be noisy”), Danish rumle (“to rumble”), all of imitative origin.
Compare typologically Russian громи́ть (gromítʹ), погро́м (pogróm), разгро́м (razgróm) (akin to гром (grom), греме́ть (gremétʹ), громыха́ть (gromyxátʹ)). Also compare гро́хнуть (gróxnutʹ) (akin to гро́хот (gróxot)).
Meanings
(intransitive) To make a low, heavy, continuous sound.
I could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance.
I watched him take his seat on the third row from the front, and I heard him rumble, “Nearer my God to thee,” some notes behind the rest of us. 1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
If I don't eat, my stomach will rumble.
(transitive) To discover deceitful or underhanded behaviour.
The police is going to rumble your hideout.
(intransitive) To move while making a rumbling noise.
We meet at Blackfriars station, in a rather incongruous little room with four seats, on the bridge high above the River Thames. […] Thameslink trains rumble past every minute. You can't just hear them - you feel them through the floor. 2026 May 13, Angie Doll tells Paul Clifton, “The RAIL Interview”, in RAIL, number 1061, page 50:
As the train rumbled slowly over the Forth Bridge, the western sky was aflame with a particularly gorgeous sunset, and lights were twinkling from the small craft riding at anchor on the calm waters of the firth. 1950 January, Arthur F. Beckenham, “With British Railways to the Far North”, in Railway Magazine, page 8:
Henderson, beginning a mini-run in the team with David de Gea on paternity leave, threw out to the left flank and Shaw had only one thought – to rumble upfield. 2021 March 7, David Hytner, “Manchester United catch City cold as Fernandes and Shaw end winning run”, in The Guardian:
The truck rumbled over the rough road.
(intransitive, slang) To fight; to brawl.
(intransitive, of a game controller) To provide haptic feedback by vibrating.
(transitive) To cause to pass through a rumble, or polishing machine.
(intransitive, obsolete) To murmur; to ripple.
The trembling streams which wont in channels clear
To rumble gently down with murmur soft,[…] c. 1580, Edmund Spenser, “The Tears of the Muses”, in Complaints, published 1591:
sv skaka (to move while making a rumbling noise) · sq gjëmoj (to make a low pitched noise) · fi jymistä (to make a low pitched noise) · mi haruru (to make a low pitched noise) · pl dudnić (to make a low pitched noise) · pms strunì (to make a low pitched noise) · mr गडगडणे (to make a low pitched noise) · bg буботя (to make a low pitched noise) · cs servat se (to move while making a rumbling noise) · es retumbar (to make a low pitched noise) · es rimbombar (to make a low pitched noise) · nn knurra (to make a low pitched noise) · hu dörög (to make a low pitched noise) · sv kivas (to fight, brawl) · oc rebombir (to make a low pitched noise) · it sferragliare (to move while making a rumbling noise) · nmn kxʻāa (to make a low pitched noise) · de knurren (to make a low pitched noise) · it smascherare (to discover deceitful or underhanded behaviour) · fi jyristellä (to move while making a rumbling noise) · oc roncar (to make a low pitched noise) · fi rähinöidä (to fight, brawl) · fi rymistellä (to move while making a rumbling noise) · wa groûler (to make a low pitched noise) · mi whēorooro (to make a low pitched noise) · hu dörmög korog (to make a low pitched noise) · fi rymistä (to make a low pitched noise) · pt roncar (to make a low pitched noise) · sv rassla (to move while making a rumbling noise) · cs rvát se (to move while making a rumbling noise) · cs lomozit (to make a low pitched noise) · cs rachotit (to make a low pitched noise) · cmn 咕咕叫 (to make a low pitched noise) · lt gurgti (to make a low pitched noise) · ru грохота́ть (to make a low pitched noise) · qu kunununuy (to make a low pitched noise) · pt brigar (to fight, brawl) · cs dunět (to make a low pitched noise) · de spitzkriegen (to discover deceitful or underhanded behaviour) · it brontolare (to make a low pitched noise) · mi whakarūrū (to make a low pitched noise) · hy թնդալ (to make a low pitched noise) · sv leva (to fight, brawl) · pl tętnić (to make a low pitched noise) · nn rumla (to make a low pitched noise) · bg трополя (to move while making a rumbling noise) · hu bunyózik (to fight, brawl) · mi wheoro (to make a low pitched noise) · cs hřmět (to make a low pitched noise) · sv bråka (to fight, brawl) · de durchschauen (to discover deceitful or underhanded behaviour) · it rimbombare (to make a low pitched noise) · fr gronder (to make a low pitched noise) · es rugir (to make a low pitched noise) · fi rymistää (to move while making a rumbling noise) · ja 怒る (to fight, brawl) · de rumpeln (to make a low pitched noise) · mi pioro (to make a low pitched noise) · sv mullra (to make a low pitched noise) · mk та́тни (to make a low pitched noise) · fr gargouiller (to make a low pitched noise) · sv skramla (to move while making a rumbling noise) · fi ratsata (to discover deceitful or underhanded behaviour) · bg тътна (to make a low pitched noise) · fi jyristä (to make a low pitched noise) · no rumle (to make a low pitched noise) · nl rommelen (to make a low pitched noise) · ru громыха́ть (to make a low pitched noise) · fi kurista (to make a low pitched noise) · cs burácet (to make a low pitched noise) · fi ottaa yhteen (to fight, brawl) · sv rumla (to fight, brawl) · mr गडाडणे (to make a low pitched noise) · fi rymytä (to move while making a rumbling noise) · sv kurra (to make a low pitched noise) · mi kokō (to make a low pitched noise)