base jumping

British  

noun

1. a sport in which a participant parachutes from any of a variety of fixed objects such as high buildings, cliffs, etc

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Etymology

Origin of base jumping

C20: b ( uilding ), a ( ntennae ), s ( pan , and ) e ( arthbound object )

Example Sentences

In 1966, Brian Schubert and a buddy strapped parachutes to their backs and leaped off Yosemite’s 3,000-foot-high El Capitan cliff -- and unwittingly inspired the worldwide extreme sport of base jumping.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

Since his recent voyage, Lastner has lived out of a van, driving across the U.S. skydiving, base jumping and speedflying in spots including Utah’s Wasatch Mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

In March 2022, a British man died after base jumping in south-east France.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2024

Even Dean Potter, an openly spiritual man who describes free-soloing as part of a personal art form that includes base jumping, finds Honnold difficult to understand.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2015

Four people who were base jumping off the 176-metre apartment block around the time of the incident were arrested; more followed, including Kirill Vselensky, one of Russia’s most prominent roofers, who is still in detention.

From The Guardian • Oct. 3, 2014