backflip
Americannoun
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a backward somersault.
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a dive executed by somersaulting backward.
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Informal. a complete reversal in attitude or policy.
Some committee members did sudden backflips, urging spending cuts instead of expanded programs.
verb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of backflip
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.
In the bond world that is grandma doing a backflip off the garage roof.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
There are various types of flips that have unique names that don't spell out exactly what the trick contains - including wildcat, tamedog, backflip, frontflip, rodeo, backside rodeo and corked spin.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
In the team event he had also landed the first legal backflip at an Olympic Games since US champion Terry Kubicka in 1976 - after which it was banned for safety reasons.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026
Michael Weiss, a two-time Olympian who performed a backflip with a full twist during exhibition shows, offered tips to his fellow Virginia-area native.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026
I executed a backflip and landed behind the supine mech in a crouch.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
