aerialist
Americannoun
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a trapeze artist.
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Slang. a burglar who gains entrance to a building or apartment by leaping from rooftop to rooftop, sliding down ropes, or the like.
noun
Etymology
Origin of aerialist
Explanation
An aerialist is an acrobat who specializes in mid-air tricks, like trapeze performances. If you go to the circus, you'll get to watch aerialists flying through the air. Trapeze artists, aerial hoop acrobats, and other mid-air performers can all be called aerialists. They are distinguished from dancers, tumblers, and gymnasts by the fact that audiences have to look up to watch aerialists perform. Aerialist comes from the Latin word aerius, "airy, lofty, or high," from the Greek aerios, "of the air."
Vocabulary lists containing aerialist
Elements of the Universe: Aer, Aero ("Air")
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aer, aero
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Water for Elephants
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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 first three weeks saw an 8-year-old aerialist, a 74-year-old comedian, a laser-performing duo from Vietnam and a Las Vegas magician who hung from the ceiling in a straitjacket.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
She started out as the ultimate three-dimensional artist: She trained as a circus aerialist and spent 25 years doing that in her native England.
From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2023
To play Louise, the company engaged Pearl, who was not a climber but had been training as an aerialist after, as she explained, “I fell in love with a circus performer.”
From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2022
There’s an aerialist, a ballerina, and a string quartet that plays, among other things, Pachelbel’s “Canon” and Europe’s “The Final Countdown.”
From The Verge • Apr. 28, 2022
She’s an aerialist and she got the straight scoop from a good authority—her spotter heard Uncle Al and the advance man exchanging heated words outside the big top.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
