handspring

noun

hand·​spring ˈhan(d)-ˌspriŋ How to pronounce handspring (audio)
: an acrobatic feat in which the body turns forward or backward in a full circle from a standing position and lands first on the hands and then on the feet

Examples of handspring in a Sentence

He did a handspring on the lawn.
Recent Examples on the Web Harris turned a potential weakness into a strength by flawlessly performing a Yurchenko 1½, a vault that has a back handspring entry and involves 1½ twists. Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2023 Just a back handspring. Emily Giambalvo Washington Post, Star Tribune, 28 July 2021 And senior Jesse Philphott executed a back handspring-into-clean-flip that sent the school into an uproar. Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Done wrong, a double back handspring into a layout results in shame at the least, injury at the worst. Danyel Smith, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023 The vault requires her to do a roundoff onto the takeoff board and a back handspring onto the table before doing a double somersault with her body in a piked position. Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2021 After doing a handspring over a bed in the White House, the 49-year-old president headed to the Baltimore and Potomac railroad station. Joy Lanzendorfer, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023 Robinson then celebrated with a somersault and a back handspring. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2022 Biles first landed the vault – which requires a roundoff onto the takeoff board, a back handspring onto the table and a double somersault with her body in a piked position – at U.S. Classic in May and did two in podium training here. Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, 28 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handspring.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of handspring was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near handspring

Cite this Entry

“Handspring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handspring. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

handspring

noun
hand·​spring ˈhan(d)-ˌspriŋ How to pronounce handspring (audio)
: a tumbling feat in which the body turns in a full circle from a standing position and lands first on the hands and then on the feet

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