somersault

American  

[suhm-er-sawlt] / ˈsʌm ərˌsɔlt /

Or somerset

noun

1. an acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end, making a complete revolution.

2. such a movement performed in the air as part of a dive, tumbling routine, etc.

3. a complete overturn or reversal, as of opinion.

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verb (used without object)

1. to perform a somersault.

somersault British  

/ ˈsʌməˌsɔːlt /

noun

1. 1. a forward roll in which the head is placed on the ground and the trunk and legs are turned over it

   2. a similar roll in a backward direction

2. an acrobatic feat in which either of these rolls are performed in midair, as in diving or gymnastics

3. a complete reversal of opinion, policy, etc

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verb

1. (intr) to perform a somersault

Etymology

Origin of somersault

1520–30; < Middle French sombresaut, alteration of sobresault; compare Old Provençal sobre over (< Latin super ), saut a leap (< Latin saltus )

Example Sentences

“But wait, you say, ‘I’ve seen them dance and somersault, and even bounce off walls.’

From Los Angeles Times

But what they hadn’t known and discovered with the help of my analysis was that the forces associated with wake turbulence can be so great that they can somersault a plane out of the sky.

From Literature

With her hands steady at the controls, her voice calm as she spoke to mission control, Collins piloted the craft through a slow, graceful somersault.

From BBC

After a Red Bull aerobatic helicopter improbably flipped over its rotor and pulled itself out of a dive at the last second, a group of children near the shore started imitating the maneuver in somersaults.

From Los Angeles Times

Children somersaulted into a pool as adults sipped cocktails and dined on burgers, blue- and orange-striped umbrellas shielding them from the summer sun.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bounce
• bound
• dive
• drop
• fall
• hop
• plummet
• skip
• surge
• take
• top
• vault