trampoline
Americannoun
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a sheet, usually of canvas, attached by resilient cords or springs to a horizontal frame several feet above the floor, used by acrobats and gymnasts as a springboard in tumbling.
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Nautical. a fabric deck stretched on the braces connecting the hulls of a catamaran or trimaran, resembling a gymnastic trampoline.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of trampoline
1790–1800; variant of trampolin < Italian trampolino springboard, equivalent to trampol ( i ) stilts (< Germanic; see trample) + -ino -ine 1
Explanation
A trampoline is a piece of gym equipment that's made for bouncing. Some people have trampolines in their yards so they can bounce and flip whenever they want to, while others go to trampoline parks to fulfill their bouncing needs. Professional trampolines are extremely sturdy, made of a large piece of durable fabric stretched tightly across a raised frame of springs. It may appear that the surface of a trampoline is stretchy, but it's actually the springs that provide the bounce, not the fabric. Jumping on a trampoline can be dangerous, especially if there are several people doing it at the same time. Trampoline comes from the Spanish trampolin, "springboard."
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:
We had five bedrooms and baths, a 40-foot living room, a Steinway grand, a huge dining table and a trampoline out back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
The former elite trampoline gymnast put an elegant flair on the skill, splitting her legs in the air and landing on one skate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
When I was able to play on a trampoline with them, play football with them in the garden, I loved being a dad.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
The resulting patchy surfaces drew criticism at the 2024 Copa America, with players complaining of "frustrating" pitches that felt like "a trampoline."
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
So we’re in the backyard, lying on the black woven surface of her trampoline.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Those included music therapy, art therapy, a dedicated sensory room, swings and trampolines and training for both staff and families.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
She can climb mountains by conjuring beds, tables or even trampolines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2024
The show will also incorporate rhythmic gymnastics and Biles said there was even talk about having “SlamBall” players — think basketball on trampolines — be part of the show.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
Upright, they bound into the air, as if off trampolines, ball up their bodies and rapidly rotate in high-flying arcs.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
That noise wouldn’t do, so they kept moving through other yards, around playhouses, and past trampolines until they were back to a road far away from Flux.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
