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.
Known for her backflip celebrations, Kerr has scored some of Chelsea's biggest goals in FA Cups finals and Champions League knockout games.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
They always do a backflip when I say I have new music.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 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
In the team event he also landed the first legal backflip at an Olympics since US champion Terry Kubicka in 1976, after which it was banned for safety reasons.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
Malik has the hairiest toes, and for the last few weeks, his right big toenail has been all black and blue and yellow because he jammed it doing a backflip.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
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.
