Definition
To fall down, or to drop from a higher position to a lower one. Also used figuratively, e.g. when prices or temperatures fall.
Example
Il a trébuché et est tombé dans la rue.
Show translation
He tripped and fell in the street.
Etymology
From Old French *tomber*, probably from Frankish *\*tūmōn* ("to turn, tumble"), related to Old High German *tūmōn* and ultimately to the Proto-Germanic root meaning "to spin or rotate." The same Germanic root gave English the word *tumble*.
Cultural note
*Tomber* appears in dozens of fixed French expressions that go well beyond the literal sense. *Tomber amoureux/amoureuse* means "to fall in love," *tomber malade* means "to fall ill," and *tomber à pic* ("to fall straight down like a cliff") means "to come at just the right moment." The phrase *ça tombe bien!* — literally "that falls well!" — is the everyday way to say "what great timing!" Learners should be aware that in the *passé composé*, *tomber* uses the auxiliary *être* (not *avoir*): *il est tombé*, not *il a tombé*.