calisthenics
Americannoun
-
(used with a plural verb) gymnastic exercises designed to develop physical health and vigor, usually performed with little or no special apparatus.
-
(used with a singular verb) the art, practice, or a session of such exercises.
noun
Other Word Forms
- calisthenic adjective
- calisthenical adjective
Etymology
Origin of calisthenics
1840–50; cali- (variant of calli- ) + Greek sthén ( os ) strength + -ics
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.
The calisthenics then continue in his office, where he often does more push-ups.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
From the opening calisthenics of “Training Season” and “Break My Heart,” Lipa ripped through a quiver of deep-house and neo-disco staples to fuel Pride parties for the rest of her life.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2025
Instead, reading is like mental calisthenics for film, priming the mind for flights of imagination and empathy.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024
The movie opens with him speed walking in a circle inside a spacious, elegantly shambolic apartment before pausing to execute some calisthenics.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024
Every day, from dawn until midnight, the boys underwent a rigid routine that consisted of calisthenics, rifle practice, and fire-coordination drills.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
