Skip to content

culbuter

to tumble, to topple over

verb kul-bu-TEH Rare

Also means

to knock over, to overwhelm

Usage Note

Culbuter describes something falling head-over-heels or being knocked over with force — a culbute is a somersault or tumble. It can be used literally (la voiture a culbuté dans le fossé) or figuratively to mean overthrowing or overwhelming an opponent. The noun faire une culbute means to take a tumble.

Examples

"Il a culbuté en descendant l'escalier."

Natural Translation

He tumbled down the stairs.

Explore French by topic