backbend

American  

[bak-bend] / ˈbækˌbɛnd /

noun

1. an acrobatic feat in which one bends backward from a standing position until one's hands touch the floor.

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backbend British  

/ ˈbækˌbɛnd /

noun

1. a gymnastic exercise in which the trunk is bent backwards until the hands touch the floor

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Etymology

Origin of backbend

back ¹ + bend ¹

Example Sentences

He flew in from New York where earlier in the day he performed backbends and corpse poses during a yoga session with a multinational crowd on the lawn of the United Nations.

From Seattle Times

India’s leader was arriving from New York, where earlier Wednesday he performed backbends and corpse poses during a yoga session with a multinational crowd on the lawn of the United Nations.

From Washington Times

Sometimes, she even turned her back to the audience, as when she framed her head with her arms while sinking in a deep backbend in front of Gilliam’s painting.

From New York Times

She crosses it to take his weight in tender backbends yet keeps receding into the shadows as their connection remains unstable.

From New York Times

As she turned into a backbend while spinning on one skate, I snapped a few frames of how far she was bending.

From New York Times