handspring

[ hand-spring ]

noun
  1. an acrobatic feat in which one starts from a standing position and wheels the body forward or backward in a complete circle, landing first on the hands and then on the feet, without contact by the rest of the body.

verb (used without object),hand·sprang, hand·sprung, hand·springing.
  1. to perform a handspring.

Origin of handspring

1
First recorded in 1870–75; hand + spring

Words Nearby handspring

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

How to use handspring in a sentence

  • The next moment he executed a handspring into the midst of the natives, almost upsetting one of them.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • The tub went down, and Charlie turned a handspring in the hot suds and came up covered with foam and wet clothes.

    Motor Matt's Mystery | Stanley R. Matthews
  • Well have no end of good times, said Bob, trying to turn a handspring on the grass, but tumbling down in the effort.

    The Motor Boys Overland | Clarence Young
  • Monsieur Call bowed to everyone, including little Artaban, who acknowledged his courtesy by executing a handspring.

  • Had he not been on his skates he would have attempted a handspring in the exuberance of his spirits.

British Dictionary definitions for handspring

handspring

/ (ˈhændˌsprɪŋ) /


noun
  1. a gymnastic feat in which a person starts from a standing position and leaps forwards or backwards into a handstand and then onto his feet

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