ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rumble

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɹəmbəɫ// UK //ɹˈʌmbəl// rum·ble Archaic Slang

n. a low, heavy, and continuous sound like distant thunder or a large truck. It can also mean a physical fight between groups of people.

n. a continuous deep, resonant sound, often associated with thunder or heavy machinery. In informal contexts, it refers to a street fight or brawl between rival gangs.


SIMPLE

We heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance.

CONTEXTUAL

The quiet of the neighborhood was broken by the deep rumble of a heavy truck passing by.

COMPLEX

The film's tension is built through a constant, low-frequency rumble in the soundtrack that creates a sense of impending disaster without showing any immediate danger.

Synonyms
Origin

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)).

Usage

Often used with 'of' to describe the source of the sound.

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