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cartwheel

cartwheel

15 3.7
A sideways movement in which the body turns with hands and feet touching the ground like a wheel
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrtˌwiːl/
translation icon : rueda
  • During recess, he showed off his best cartwheel to impress his friends.
  • turn cartwheels
  • somersaults and cartwheels
  • handstands and cartwheels

There was a video of her like doing a cartwheel in a bikini that went viral and that is why she was trending when I saw it.

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Examples

  • Hey, there's Karla Korneisal practicing cartwheels on her front lawn.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • After a few attempts, she successfully completed a cartwheel during her gymnastics class.

  • So we're going to do a cartwheel into side star.

  • I can do a cartwheel.

  • Christa did a cartwheel in the middle of the street, showing off.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Now, I know a little girl... ...who would just love to practice her cartwheels on the lawn.

  • As he tried to do the cartwheel, he tipped sideways and landed on his back.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Cassie and about half a dozen other girls cartwheel near the pitcher's mound.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The children practiced their cartwheels on the soft grass at the park.

How Difficult

to backflip
1 3.3
flip
21 3.7
somersault
16 2.8
cartwheel
15 3.7
to roll
1.0

Surface Forms

cartwheel singular
cartwheels plural

Morphology

cartwheel = cart + wheel (semi-transparent) = cart + wheel

A metaphorical extension from the compound 'cartwheel' describing motion that resembles a wheel; components are recognizable but the sense is figurative.

Etymology

Cartwheel for the acrobatic move is named because the body turns like a wheel on its side, just like a cart's wheel, and you can picture your arms and legs as the spokes. That's why doing a cartwheel makes your body move in a round, wheel-like way.