somersault

or som·er·set sum·mer·sault, sum·mer·set

[ suhm-er-sawlt ]
See synonyms for somersault on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end, making a complete revolution.

  2. such a movement performed in the air as part of a dive, tumbling routine, etc.

  1. a complete overturn or reversal, as of opinion.

verb (used without object)
  1. to perform a somersault.

Origin of somersault

1
1520–30; <Middle French sombresaut, alteration of sobresault; compare Old Provençal sobre over (<Latin super), saut a leap (<Latin saltus)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use somersault in a sentence

  • Gordon bent his head sharply, and dropped, falling onto his shoulders and somersaulting over.

    Police Your Planet | Lester del Rey
  • Mrs. Heth, somersaulting without hesitancy from last night's caution, flooded the dark places with lurid light.

    V. V.'s Eyes | Henry Sydnor Harrison
  • Out of the inner globe came men that flew, sprawled out, somersaulting up and out of apertures made by the crashing bombs.

    Lords of the Stratosphere | Arthur J. Burks
  • First Joe dropped into the net, then Sid and finally Tonzo, each one somersaulting down.

  • Suddenly he saw a disabled plane come somersaulting out of the air and fall into a field quarter of a mile away.

British Dictionary definitions for somersault

somersault

summersault

/ (ˈsʌməˌsɔːlt) /


noun
    • a forward roll in which the head is placed on the ground and the trunk and legs are turned over it

    • a similar roll in a backward direction

  1. an acrobatic feat in which either of these rolls are performed in midair, as in diving or gymnastics

  1. a complete reversal of opinion, policy, etc

verb
  1. (intr) to perform a somersault

Origin of somersault

1
C16: from Old French soubresault, probably from Old Provençal sobresaut, from sobre over (from Latin super) + saut a jump, leap (from Latin saltus)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012