gymnastics

American  

[jim-nas-tiks] / dʒɪmˈnæs tɪks /

noun

gymnastics plural

1. (used with a plural verb) gymnastic exercises.

2. (used with a singular verb) the practice art, or competitive sport of gymnastic exercises.

3. (used with a plural verb) mental feats or other exercises of skill.

   Verbal gymnastics.

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gymnastics British  

/ dʒɪmˈnæstɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) practice or training in exercises that develop physical strength and agility or mental capacity

2. (functioning as plural) gymnastic exercises

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Usage

What does gymnastics mean? Gymnastics is a sport involving tests and demonstrations of balance, strength, and agility through physical exercises, many of which are performed using special equipment. Skills performed in gymnastics include rhythmic dance, feats of strength and balance, and highly athletic and artistic body movements, such as vaults, flips, twists, and other aerial maneuvers. The gymnastics events at the Summer Olympic Games are widely considered to feature the highest level of international competition. They consist of three separate competitions: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline gymnastics. The most well-known form of gymnastics is artistic gymnastics, and this is the sport that’s most often simply referred to as gymnastics. It includes several different competitive events, including floor exercise, vault, parallel bars, uneven bars, horizontal bar, balance beam, rings, and pommel horseRhythmic gymnastics involves dancelike movements while handling objects such as balls, hoops, and ribbons. Trampoline gymnastics involves performing acrobatics with the aid of a trampoline. Athletes who compete in the sport of gymnastics are called gymnasts. The word gymnastics is also sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to the exercise of skill in some (usually difficult) task or action, as in I bet that took quite a bit of mental gymnastics. Example: In the history of gymnastics, there has never been another gymnast quite like Simone Biles.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gymnastics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gymnastics

First recorded in 1645–55; see origin at gymnastic, -ics

Compare meaning

How does gymnastics compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• acrobatics vs. gymnastics

Explanation

The sport involving balance beams, uneven bars, and cartwheels is gymnastics. To be good at gymnastics, you have to be strong, limber, and able to do handstands. In ancient Greece, young men originally learned gymnastics as a way of training for war. Today's elite gymnasts work just as hard to perfect routines for competition. Women and girls compete in four gymnastics events: uneven bars, vault, floor excercise, and balance beam. Men's gymnastics includes four events: floor exercise, vault, pommel horse rings, high bar, and parallel bars. The word gymnastics shares a root with gymnasium: the Greek word gymnazein, "to exercise or train."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gymnastics

“Olympic-level mental gymnastics are required to square this circle,” said Timothy Caulfield, a professor of law and public health at the University of Alberta.

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Welsh gymnastics fraternity were still in the building and you could hear their whooping and cheering as Ruby showed off her medal.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

A gymnastics coach by training, Kelly was inspired to start Frosted Faces after she volunteered at local animal shelters and noticed owners turning in elderly pets because they had become too much of a hassle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

What a week it has been for Wales' gymnastics golden girl Ruby Evans.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tuesdays are the worst, because in the afternoon, she has to get Haley to gymnastics and my other younger sister, Semaj, to physical therapy.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner