acrobat

[ ak-ruh-bat ]

/ ˈæk rəˌbæt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR acrobat ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a skilled performer of gymnastic feats, as walking on a tightrope or swinging on a trapeze.

a person who readily changes viewpoints or opinions.

Nearby words

acro dance, acro-, acroagnosis, acroanesthesia, acroataxia, acrobat, acrobatic, acrobatics, acroblast, acrobrachycephaly, acrocarpous

Origin of acrobat

1815–25; < French acrobate < Greek akróbatos walking on tiptoe, equivalent to akro- acro- + -batos, verbal adjective of baínein to go; French word may be recoinage, or etymological reading of the Gk word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for acrobat

Acrobat death In 2004, Dessi Espana, a performer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey, fell 35 feet during a performance.
Thrills and Too Many Spills: The Dangers of the Circus|Marina Watts|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The acrobat was twirling during her performance, suspended by a chiffon scarf.
Thrills and Too Many Spills: The Dangers of the Circus|Marina Watts|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everybody in her class was either a potential Van Gogh or an acrobat.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Leaning against the bar, the Chinese acrobat looks weary, though he says none of the tricks are difficult for him anymore.
A Mad Feast Is the Next 'Sleep No More'|Nina Strochlic|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Along the way he also picked up the skills to be an acrobat, a juggler, a wire walker, a trapeze artist, and a clown.
Giovanni Zoppé’s Real-Life Family Circus|Malcolm Jones|October 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
With the skill of an acrobat, he got into the lodge by an upper window which had been left open, and returned ten minutes later.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room|Gaston Leroux
If she hadn't enticed the acrobat to my place that time, we'd have him round our necks to-day too.
Pandora's Box|Frank Wedekind
The gun pointer came last of all, springing backward like an acrobat.
The Dreadnought Boys on Battle Practice|John Henry Goldfrap
One of these young men is an acrobat, who will be one of us.
The Young Acrobat of the Great North American Circus|Horatio Alger Jr.
He was quite an acrobat, but he could not look down his spinal column.
The Corner House Girls in a Play|Grace Brooks Hill

British Dictionary definitions for acrobat

acrobat

/ (ˈækrəˌbæt) /

noun

an entertainer who performs acts that require skill, agility, and coordination, such as tumbling, swinging from a trapeze, or walking a tightrope

a person noted for his frequent and rapid changes of position or allegiancesa political acrobat

Derived Forms

acrobatic, adjectiveacrobatically, adverb

Word Origin for acrobat

C19: via French from Greek akrobatēs acrobat, one who walks on tiptoe, from acro- + bat-, from bainein to walk

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

acrobat

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of acrobat

Examples from the Web for acrobat

British Dictionary definitions for acrobat

acrobat

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for acrobat