acrobat
Americannoun
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a skilled performer of gymnastic feats, as walking on a tightrope or swinging on a trapeze.
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a person who readily changes viewpoints or opinions.
noun
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an entertainer who performs acts that require skill, agility, and coordination, such as tumbling, swinging from a trapeze, or walking a tightrope
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a person noted for his frequent and rapid changes of position or allegiances
a political acrobat
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of acrobat
First recorded in 1815–25; from French acrobate, from Greek akróbatos “walking on tiptoe,” equivalent to akro- prefix meaning “height, extremity” + -batos, verbal adjective of baínein “to go”; the French word may be a recoinage, or an etymological reading of the Greek word; see acro-
Explanation
An acrobat is someone who skillfully performs gymnastic feats or other actions that involve agility and balance, such as a trapeze artist soaring through the air, or a tightrope walker at the circus. You may be tempted to conclude that the bat in acrobat is a tribute to the animal that soars through the air when not hanging upside down. The source is not quite that creative. It comes from bainein, which is Greek for "to walk." The acro bit comes from akros, meaning "highest point." So acrobat is a reference to the classic and possibly first trick perfected by these artists, tightrope walking.
Vocabulary lists containing acrobat
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Towers Falling
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One company mentioned by several readers was Adobe, the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Before building OpenClaw, Steinberger had spent over a decade working on his previous tech startup, which made software to make PDFs easier to use in apps outside of Adobe Acrobat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
Adobe also announced at the time that it has officially launched Photoshop, Express, and Acrobat in ChatGPT, which would be free to ChatGPT users globally.
From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026
Yap is at the heart of these changes: In 1993, she was hired by Adobe to help develop Acrobat.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2022
Acrobat Reader was then available for PDAs, beginning with the Palm Pilot in May 2001 and the Pocket PC in December 2001.
From The eBook is 40 (1971-2011) by Lebert, Marie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
