sit-up
an exercise in which a person lies flat on the back, lifts the torso to a sitting position, and then lies flat again without changing the position of the legs: formerly done with the legs straight but now usually done with the knees bent.
Origin of sit-up
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sit-up in a sentence
I quit running and replaced that with a lot of core exercises, a lot of sit-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and planks.
Rick Perry, Humbled by His ‘Oops,’ May Be Ready This Time | Eleanor Clift | June 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou can join a gym or you can build muscle low-budget style— push-ups, sit-ups, squats, pull-ups, arm curls, etc.
These Diet Lessons From Olympians Will Help You Lose Weight and Look Awesome | Jenna A. Bell | February 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDrop and do 10 push-ups; try some sit-ups or walk around the living room.
6 Ways to Avoid ‘Sochi Gut’ While Watching the Olympics | Jenna A. Bell | February 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI failed miserably at chin-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups, but performed really, really well, thank you, in jumping jacks.
I tried not to be self-conscious as I elevated my ass in front of a line of dudes doing sit-ups.
British Dictionary definitions for sit up
to raise (oneself or another) from a recumbent to an upright or alert sitting posture
(intr) to remain out of bed and awake, esp until a late hour
(intr) informal to become suddenly interested or alert: devaluation of the dollar made the money market sit up
a physical exercise in which the body is brought into a sitting position from one lying on the back: Also: trunk curl
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with sit-up
Rise to a sitting position from lying down, as in The sick child sat up and asked for a drink of water. [Early 1200s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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