to tumble on

1 7.4

Keep going despite problems and confusion

phrasal verb
/ˈtʌm.bəl ɑn/

: seguir adelante

Despite the rain, we decided to tumble on with our hike, navigating the slippery path carefully.

Examples

Despite the setbacks, we tumble on with our project.
Even though the project faced numerous setbacks, the team managed to tumble on and complete it on time.
Even when plans fall apart, people often tumble on and find a way through.
She tumbled on through her speech, undeterred by interruptions from the audience.
The festival tumbled on despite the rain and unplanned mishaps.
They will tumble on through the challenges ahead!
She stumbled a bit but chose to tumble on through the difficult conversation with her boss.

How Persistent

to persevere

22 5.1

to press on

26 3.9

to tumble on

1 7.4

to carry on

253 2.7

Surface Forms

tumble on infinitive

tumble oned past

tumble oned past participle

tumble onning present participle

tumble ons third person singular

Morphology

tumble + on

The phrase pairs 'tumble' (stumble, move in a chaotic or rolling way) with 'on' (continuing), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer a meaning like 'continue in a disorganized or stumbling way.' However, the specific nuance of persisting despite obstacles is a metaphorical extension that is not fully predictable at B1 without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Tumble on comes from the picture of someone who tumbles, that is, falls or rolls, yet keeps moving on instead of stopping. So, when people or events tumble on, they 'continue despite difficulties' in a messy or unplanned way.