acrobat
Americannoun
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acrobats
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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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.
See Examples For:
The sport isn’t the same without Carlos Alcaraz, its sunny, electric, endlessly scampering 23-year-old acrobat from Spain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
For three glorious seasons between 1983 and 1985, ‘80s kids also had the “Dungeons & Dragons” animated series with its two girl heroes: an acrobat and a thief with an invisibility cloak.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Everyone on stage mesmerizes, yet Christopher Nell as The Boy, a barrel of laughs and an acrobat, nonetheless steals the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
The acrobat, in his 20s, fell while riding the "wheel of death" apparatus at the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, on Wednesday evening.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2023
A flame, seemingly detached, swung like an acrobat and licked up the palm heads on the platfonn.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Magicians, jugglers, puppeteers and acrobats once made a living from crowds in public spaces.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The show — about a traveling circus — boasts an ensemble with as many acrobats as actors, all of whom must warm up prior to performing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
That word came up many times during the show’s first audition rounds as dancers, singers, magicians, acrobats and a contortionist took the stage.
From Salon ● May 31, 2025
Like acrobats, the crew scurried up the masts to the upper topgallant sails that rose nearly 200 feet above us.
From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
“How delightful, Your Majesty,” Kaltain said as the acrobats gathered their things.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
