Meaning & use
tumbleweed moment
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A moment of awkward silence when a joke fails or no one responds.
Grammar: Usually used with 'a' or 'the': 'There was a tumbleweed moment.'
Patterns
- a tumbleweed moment
- the tumbleweed moment
- after a tumbleweed moment
After he told the joke, there was a tumbleweed moment before someone changed the subject.
The presenter's question was met with a tumbleweed moment.
We had a real tumbleweed moment when nobody laughed at his pun.
Word forms
| plural | tumbleweed moments |
|---|
Common combinations
- a tumbleweed moment
- There was a tumbleweed moment after the announcement.
- have a tumbleweed moment
- The comedian had a tumbleweed moment when his first joke fell flat.
- awkward tumbleweed moment
- The awkward tumbleweed moment lasted several seconds.
Synonyms and how they differ
- awkward silence
- A more direct term; 'tumbleweed moment' is more figurative and humorous.
- dead air
- Used especially in broadcasting for a silence; 'tumbleweed moment' is more general.
Practice
The room went quiet after his joke, creating a ______.
Choose one answer.
The singular 'tumbleweed moment' is needed because it refers to one instance. 'Tumbleweed moments' is plural, 'tumbleweed's moment' is possessive, and 'tumbleweed' alone does not convey the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tumbleweed moment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.