topple

Compared meaning: fall down (verb).

比较义项：倒塌、倒下（动词）。

• tumble

  Tumble emphasizes a rolling, bouncing fall, often for small or light objects or people losing their footing; it focuses on the falling motion itself rather than instability, and rarely describes large structures collapsing.

  tumble强调滚动、跳动式的跌落动作，常用于轻巧物体或人失去立足点时，侧重跌落的动态本身而非不稳定，很少用于描述大型建筑物的倒塌。

  The little boy watched his toy tumble down the staircase.

  小男孩看着他的玩具沿着楼梯滚落下去。

• topple 本词

  Topple stresses that something upright or unstable loses its balance and falls over, often forward; it typically describes structures or standing objects, and is also used figuratively for governments falling.

  topple强调直立或不稳的物体失去平衡而倒下，常常是向前倒下；通常用来描述建筑物或直立的物体，也常用于比喻政府倒台。

  Strong winds caused the old fence to topple over in the yard.

  大风把院子里那道老旧的篱笆刮倒了。

Tumble and topple both mean to fall down after losing balance. Tumble emphasizes a rolling, bouncing fall, often for small objects or people. Topple emphasizes something upright or unstable falling over, often forward, and is also used to describe a government falling from power.

这两个词都表示物体因失去平衡而倒下或垮塌，但倒下的方式和常见搭配不同。tumble强调翻滚、跌落式的动作，topple强调直立或不稳的物体向前倒下，也常用于比喻政权倒台。