skydiving

American  

[skahy-dahy-ving] / ˈskaɪˌdaɪ vɪŋ /

Or sky diving

noun

1. the sport of jumping from an airplane at a moderate or high altitude and free-falling and using one's body to control direction or movements before opening one's parachute.

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skydiving British  

/ ˈskaɪˌdaɪvɪŋ /

noun

1. the sport of parachute jumping, in which participants perform manoeuvres before opening the parachute and attempt to land accurately

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Other Word Forms

• sky diver noun

Etymology

Origin of skydiving

First recorded in 1955–60; sky + dive + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

When a friend visited this month, she spent more than $250 to treat her and her kids to indoor skydiving lessons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The skydiving company that organised the tandem jump later went into administration.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 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

Felix Baumgartner lived to leap, becoming the first person to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile skydiving adventure through the stratosphere in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

He does skydiving and cross-country skiing and jogging, and he plays golf.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall