somersault
Americannoun
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somersaults
plural
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an acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end, making a complete revolution.
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such a movement performed in the air as part of a dive, tumbling routine, etc.
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a complete overturn or reversal, as of opinion.
verb (used without object)
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somersaults,
present (3rd person singular)
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somersaulted,
past participle, past
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somersaulting
present participle
noun
-
-
a forward roll in which the head is placed on the ground and the trunk and legs are turned over it
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a similar roll in a backward direction
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an acrobatic feat in which either of these rolls are performed in midair, as in diving or gymnastics
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a complete reversal of opinion, policy, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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somersaultsimple
-
somersaultssimple
-
have somersaultedperfect
-
has somersaultedperfect
-
am somersaultingprogressive
-
are somersaultingprogressive
-
is somersaultingprogressive
-
have been somersaultingperfect progressive
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has been somersaultingperfect progressive
Past
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somersaultedsimple
-
had somersaultedperfect
-
was somersaultingprogressive
-
were somersaultingprogressive
-
had been somersaultingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of somersault
1520–30; < Middle French sombresaut, alteration of sobresault; compare Old Provençal sobre over (< Latin super ), saut a leap (< Latin saltus )
Explanation
A somersault is a gymnastic move in which you lower your head almost to the floor and roll forward so your feet flip over your head. Fancier somersaults are done in the air, rather than on the ground. There are many types of somersaults—forward, backward, and sideways, among other variations. In gymnastics, a somersault on the floor is more often called a roll. The word somersault, which works as a verb too, comes from the now-obsolete French sombresault, from the Latin roots supra, "over," and saut, "a jump."
Vocabulary lists containing somersault
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Summer of the Monkeys
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Unit 4, Week 5
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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.
See Examples For:
Isack Hadjar crashed his Red Bull on his own at the final chicane and Pierre Gasly's Alpine was tipped into a somersault by Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls at the final corner.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
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 ● Oct. 20, 2025
Ever the showman, he celebrated with a somersault.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2025
When circus-goers witness acts like a triple somersault on the trapeze or spinning in a human hamster wheel without a harness, they see a fleeting moment that is said to have divine impact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024
They sprinted down the dirt road, Ben taking a commanding lead with every stride, until he heard Sammy trip over a stump and somersault into an oleander bush.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
From shoulder shimmies and frat flicks to somersaults and knee slides, the Flemings and Schifferles left it all on the dance floor to prove the prowess of their family name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Stone knits puppets and vaudeville acts, songs and somersaults, as well as melds two groups of people who might not have shared a lunch table in high school — the jocks and the theater geeks.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024
His body somersaults, over and over, faster and faster, until it hangs suspended, just above the stage floor.
From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2024
Freddie Thomas has been working in the Russ Building’s lobby security for more than 15 years through many of the city’s previous economic somersaults.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
My stomach somersaults and I feel something swell inside my chest.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
It somersaulted and landed upside down, before righting itself upon landing.
From BBC ● May 17, 2025
He somersaulted over the snow at New York’s Whiteface Mountain, near a spot where his coach was watching.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2023
LeBron James somersaulted onto his feet and pounded his chest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2022
Two drives later, Davis front-flip somersaulted into the end zone for a six-yard score.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
As he somersaulted into a clump of nettles in the ditch bottom, he remembered vividly the scent of beanflowers at sunset.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Fernandez was first shown a yellow card for dissent, then a second for a spectacularly late challenge that sent Cubarsi somersaulting.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
But Dobbins, who has had a long history of injuries, raised eyebrows when he celebrated the touchdown by somersaulting into the end zone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
Which may explain why an earnest teen spirit seems to be alive and somersaulting in “Backspot,” a cheer squad tale offering plenty of life lessons.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2024
Watching her gracefully somersaulting through the water — her silvery tail towed, at one point, by Sebastian’s tiny pincer — you can’t help feeling something not present enough on screens these days: joy.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
His other brethren form up behind him, dancing and somersaulting with the zeal of acrobats at a carnival.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
