Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tumbleweed moment

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.54 in modern English

Syllables: tum-ble-weed -mo-ment
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

5

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A period of stony, unresponsive silence.

British usage

Example Sentences

"…real life television news quizzes have the benefit of careful editing to remove the tumbleweed moments."
"When you’re wondering if they might just sit there self-consciously not saying anything (a tumbleweed moment) you need to get away from the centre-front, start moving around."
"Peter Gibson, of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “in a world of daft pranks, we want littering to be that tumbleweed moment, the joke that falls flat on its face.”"

Etymology

From the motif in western movies where the wind blows tumbleweeds through the scene, usually to establish that the place is desolate or empty.

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

tumbleweed moments (plural)

Phrases

deafening silence

Frequently Paired Words

crickets deafening silence

Synonyms

dead air

Questions

What does tumbleweed moment mean?: A period of stony, unresponsive silence.
Where does tumbleweed moment come from?: From the motif in western movies where the wind blows tumbleweeds through the scene, usually to establish that the place is desolate or empty.

How to pronounce tumbleweed moment

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