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Glite Dictionary
somersaulting

somersaulting

4.0
A movement in which the body turns completely so the feet pass over the head
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌmərˌsɔltɪŋ/
translation icon : voltereta
  • The children's performance included impressive somersaulting that delighted the audience.

Losing it and watching him do kind of somersaults and different kinds of yoga movements to to try and explain it away.

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Examples

  • I don't think he actually thinks that because he I think he's just doing somersaults to justify, right.

  • And I noticed more recently while working on this book that all of this was sensory sunsets, somersaults, ice cream, you name it.

    Andrew Huberman

  • Losing it and watching him do kind of somersaults and different kinds of yoga movements to to try and explain it away.

    Harvard University

  • To crash through the shrubs and the brushwood with narrowed eyes like a deer, let the branches whip your face and your somersaulting heartbeat even out with the rhythm of your running.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The gymnast executed a perfect somersaulting move during her routine.

  • After several attempts, he finally mastered the art of somersaulting at the local gymnastics club.

Synonyms

tumble
vssomersaulting
46 2.9

A rolling fall or gymnastic turn of the body

is the deliberate full rotation action, not accidental falling
flip
vssomersaulting
21 3.7

A jump where the body turns over in the air

is the single full rotation action rather than any aerial dive or varied move
somersault
vssomersaulting
16 2.8

A movement where a person turns head over heels in the air or on the ground

is the ongoing action form referring to performing that rotation
summersault
vssomersaulting
  • US
1 5.3

To turn all the way in the air and land on your feet

is the same action but written with a different historical spelling
to backflip
vssomersaulting
1 3.3

To jump and turn backward in the air and land on your feet

is the full forward or backward rotation not limited to backward jumps
tumbling
vssomersaulting
1 3.5

A series of physical moves like somersaults and handsprings on a floor or mat

focuses on one full rotation rather than a series of acrobatic moves
somerset
vssomersaulting
  • Archaic
9.9

To roll or flip your body so your feet go over your head and you land standing

is the same action but a different word form
summerset
vssomersaulting
  • US
9.9

A full body turn where your feet go over your head and you land on your feet

is the same action but appears as another spelling variant

How Acrobatic

backflip
12 3.5
flip
21 3.7
somersaulting
4.0
to tumble
14 3.0
to roll
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

somersaulting singular
somersaultings plural

Morphology

somersaulting = somersault (transparent) = somersault + ing

Formed by adding the gerund/participle suffix '-ing' to the verb 'somersault', so the noun meaning 'the act of performing a somersault' is directly derived.

Etymology

Somersaulting comes from the Old French word soubresaut, made of parts sous and saut meaning 'under' and 'jump', so it originally meant a sudden 'under-jump' or overturn. That's why somersaulting is the act of turning your body so your feet pass over your head.