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Definitions

rumbling

[ruhm-bling] / ˈrʌm blɪŋ /
ADJECTIVE
hollow
Synonyms
STRONGEST
muted
STRONG
dull echoing flat low muffled mute resounding ringing roaring sounding vibrating
WEAK
cavernous clangorous ghostly reverberant sepulchral thunderous toneless vibrant
Antonyms
STRONG
clear elevated sharp
WEAK
convex earnest frank full genuine high honest light meaningful raised real sincere soft solid substantial truthful
NOUN
roll
Synonyms
STRONG
barrage boom booming clangor drone drumbeat drumming echoing grumble quaver racket rat-a-tat resonance roar rumble thunder
Antonyms
STRONG
quiet
NOUN
thunder
Synonyms
STRONGEST
detonation explosion roar rumble
STRONG
barrage blast boom booming cannonade clap cracking crash crashing discharge drumfire fulmination outburst peal pealing thunderbolt uproar
WEAK
thundercrack
Antonyms
STRONG
peace

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Thousands of metres beneath the ground, amid suffocating heat, lies one of the keys to Poland's rumbling mining sector -- and the world economy.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Residents in Thailand's Ban Thanon Khot are accustomed to the rumbling of trains – rail is a key mode of transportation connecting the remote town with major cities.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

Lee had hoped the ADM plant, with its towering silos and trains rumbling in and out of town, would be her last stop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

As a kid rumbling by “the Joey P” in the backseat of my mom’s minivan, I never thought about what it really means to decorate a warship for Christmas.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025

Maybe the demons had good reason, because as I watched, the felines' hisses and purrs deepened into rumbling growls and they grew bigger, becoming...big cats.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda