trapeze

American  

[tra-peez, truh-] / træˈpiz, trə- /

noun

1. an apparatus, used in gymnastics and acrobatics, consisting of a short horizontal bar attached to the ends of two suspended ropes.

2. (on a small sailboat) a device by which a crew member can be suspended almost completely outboard while hiking.

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trapeze British  

/ trəˈpiːz /

noun

1. a free-swinging bar attached to two ropes, used by circus acrobats, etc

2. a sling like a bosun's chair at one end of a line attached to the masthead of a light racing sailing boat, used in sitting out

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Etymology

Origin of trapeze

1860–65; < French, special use of trapèze trapezium

Explanation

If you've been to the circus, you've probably seen a trapeze, a swing-like bar on ropes hanging high in the air. Trapeze performers do daring tricks while swinging far above the ground. Acrobats and trapeze artists are trained to dangle and flip and leap from trapeze to trapeze as they swing dozens of feet above the ground. The trapeze was invented in 1859 by a French performer named Jules Leotard. The word trapeze comes from the Latin word trapezium, a geometrical four-sided figure that is mimicked by the shape made by the ceiling, ropes, and bar in a trapeze.

Example Sentences

The agents booked them a trapeze class for early April.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Navigating this period as a journalist and sole parent feels like being a trapeze artist without a net—each day teetering on the edge of madness.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2024

And she had an adventurous side, having taken a trapeze class and gone skydiving with her husband, Seth Jefferds.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2024

As for Morgan Gibbs-White exaggerating the challenge, and flying through the air like a trapeze artist, he should be ashamed of himself.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2024

“And her mama and daddy was trapeze artists.”

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo