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
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:
For mum Kelly, it's her job as a circus acrobat.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025
“They used me as a model in their diving program,” says Louganis, who trained as an acrobat and dancer as a child before moving to diving.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
Midway, an acrobat stood balanced on the shoulders of another who walked the entire length of the runway and back.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2024
On this day in 1859, the French acrobat Charles Blondin tightrope-walked across the Niagara Gorge, 160 feet above water.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
In 1878, Hilarion Daza, the illegitimate son of an Italian acrobat, seized power in Bolivia.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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
When I watch “America’s Got Talent,” I guess I’m watching the future of Olympics sports — human/dog acrobatics, human pyramids, acrobats spinning 30 feet up in the air, complex acrobatic dance groups, etc.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2024
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
Soon we’re in the middle of a circus act, with acrobats flying through the air, twisting on ropes and poles.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 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.
