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Glite Dictionary
summersault

summersault

1 5.3
To turn all the way in the air and land on your feet
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌmərˌsɔlt/
  • US
translation icon : voltereta
  • She practiced her summersault on the trampoline, making sure to keep her legs straight.

Examples

  • - Listen to me honey, you've been under a terrific strain, out in the desert at night your mind can turn summersaults and whatever you see or hear can seem very real.

    The Ghost Dance (1982)

  • The gymnast performed a perfect summersault in the air before landing gracefully on her feet.

  • Every year, about an hour... for no reason, no reason at all... shoals of salmon... they jump up and try to do summersaults.

    Skeleton Man (2004)

  • During the competition, he showed off his ability to do multiple summersaults in a row.

Synonyms

flip
vssummersault
21 3.7

A jump where the body turns over in the air

is a full forward or backward revolution specifically, not any body turnover
somersault
vssummersault
16 2.8

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

is the same movement but presented as a different spelling variant
summerset
vssummersault
  • US
9.9

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

is the same movement but expressed as another variant or spelling
somerset
vssummersault
  • Archaic
9.9

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

is the same movement but given under an alternate variant name

How Difficult

backflip
12 3.5
summersault
  • US
1 5.3
cartwheel
15 3.7
to roll
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

summersault singular
summersaults plural
somersaults plural
somersault singular

Etymology

Summersault looks like the season 'summer', but the parts tell a different story: the ending sault comes from an old word for 'leap', and the same idea is in assault, which once meant 'to leap on' someone. So a summersault is literally an 'over-leap', a full turn that sends your feet over your head.