Rumbly describes a low, rolling, vibrating sound or feeling, like distant thunder or a growling stomach. When your belly feels rumbly before lunch, it's making those gurgling, rumbling sounds that tell you it's time to eat. A big truck passing by might make a rumbly noise that you can feel in your chest as much as hear with your ears.

The word captures sounds that aren't sharp or sudden but rather deep and continuous, rolling along like waves. A cat's purr can sound rumbly. A motorcycle engine idling at a stoplight makes a rumbly sound. Even a person's voice can be described as rumbly if it's deep and resonant, with a quality that seems to vibrate in the air.

Notice how rumbly suggests something you feel as much as hear. When thunder rumbles in the distance during a storm, you might feel that low vibration before you even register the sound. That combination of sound and sensation is what makes something truly rumbly, rather than just loud or noisy.