to dry (washing) in a clothes drier in which articles are rotated vertically through heated air
Word origin
[1965–70]This word is first recorded in the period 1965–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: T cell, genetic engineering, isometric exercise, no-fault, wraparound
Examples of 'tumble-dry' in a sentence
tumble-dry
Wash by hand and do not wring or tumble-dry.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Dry-cleaners will rejoice at all that snowy white, do not tumble-dry, wool.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Vacuum the mattress, bed frame and areas around the bed daily; hot-wash and tumble-dry bedding.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
Made from hydrocotton, their fibres have hollow cores that trap air, so every time you tumble-dry them, they get fluffier.