1
gymnastics
jim-ˈna-stiks 
plural in form but singular in construction
plural in form but singular in construction
a
: physical exercises designed to develop strength and coordination
b
: a competitive sport in which individuals perform optional and prescribed acrobatic feats mostly on special apparatus in order to demonstrate strength, balance, and body control
2
: an exercise in intellectual or artistic dexterity
my earlier philosophic study had been an intellectual gymnastic—
John Dewey
John Deweymental gymnastics
3
: a physical feat or contortion
the gymnastics necessary for the killer to have swung from the fire escape—E. D. Radin
E. D. RadinExamples of gymnastic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebChristian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024
His gymnastic studio’s website domain went offline.
—Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
With this newest addition, Biles now has five gymnastic skills named after her.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 2 Oct. 2023
In the span of just over a decade, Key Biscayne police received a series of complaints about a gymnastic coach’s allegedly abusive behavior with young girls, police reports and interviews with the Herald reveal.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
The weapons complex is spread through multiple bureaucracies; each one is responsible only for its own discrete tasks and relies on language that can be gymnastic.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
The brand will be the first to do NIL deals with athletes through the fund and eight LSU gymnastic athletes will become Accelerator ambassadors, the brand said in a statement to PEOPLE.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
No coaches were named specifically in Eaker’s post, but the University of Utah’s gymnastic program head coach, Tom Farden, has previously faced allegations of abuse but retained his job after an independent investigation.
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023
In the news business, there’s some gymnastic scoring.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023
Becky Sullivan, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Like her offspring, Cari was a standout student-athlete at Bellevue East High School in Nebraska, earning letters in gymnastics and diving while also on the cheer squad.
—Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Other women’s figure skating and gymnastics competitions in the Olympics have also topped the 2015 World Cup.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
The term, of course, comes from gymnastics, part of a creeping sportsification of pop-culture criticism that has also given us assorted TV power rankings and myriad March Madness-style brackets.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Allison Holland Allison and Holcombe Huddleston are business owners and operators with over 20 years in the gymnastics and cheerleading industry.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Now, Muhammad is a gymnast at Fisk University – the first historically Black college to have an NCAA gymnastics team.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024
The goal is to help the leader avoid the mental gymnastics that come along with constant prioritization and rebalancing.
—Stephen Hsu, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
One of the girls gets in her gymnastics bag while another develops superhuman strength to bench press Metro’s armored Tesla Cybertrunk.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
Adjective
My whole childhood revolved around soccer leagues, hockey teams, and gymnastic practices.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024
His gymnastic studio’s website domain went offline.
—Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
With this newest addition, Biles now has five gymnastic skills named after her.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 2 Oct. 2023
In the span of just over a decade, Key Biscayne police received a series of complaints about a gymnastic coach’s allegedly abusive behavior with young girls, police reports and interviews with the Herald reveal.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
The weapons complex is spread through multiple bureaucracies; each one is responsible only for its own discrete tasks and relies on language that can be gymnastic.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
The brand will be the first to do NIL deals with athletes through the fund and eight LSU gymnastic athletes will become Accelerator ambassadors, the brand said in a statement to PEOPLE.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
No coaches were named specifically in Eaker’s post, but the University of Utah’s gymnastic program head coach, Tom Farden, has previously faced allegations of abuse but retained his job after an independent investigation.
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023
In the news business, there’s some gymnastic scoring.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023
Noun
Some athletes, especially those who compete in sports that attract the highest viewership, such as gymnastics, are able to earn money from sponsorship deals.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Like her offspring, Cari was a standout student-athlete at Bellevue East High School in Nebraska, earning letters in gymnastics and diving while also on the cheer squad.
—Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Other women’s figure skating and gymnastics competitions in the Olympics have also topped the 2015 World Cup.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
The term, of course, comes from gymnastics, part of a creeping sportsification of pop-culture criticism that has also given us assorted TV power rankings and myriad March Madness-style brackets.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Allison Holland Allison and Holcombe Huddleston are business owners and operators with over 20 years in the gymnastics and cheerleading industry.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Now, Muhammad is a gymnast at Fisk University – the first historically Black college to have an NCAA gymnastics team.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024
The goal is to help the leader avoid the mental gymnastics that come along with constant prioritization and rebalancing.
—Stephen Hsu, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
One of the girls gets in her gymnastics bag while another develops superhuman strength to bench press Metro’s armored Tesla Cybertrunk.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gymnastic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to gymnastic
Dictionary Entries Near gymnastic
Cite this Entry
“Gymnastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gymnastic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share