handspring
noun
hand·spring
ˈhan(d)-ˌspriŋ 
: 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
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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
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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
Dictionary Entries Near handspring
Cite this Entry
“Handspring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handspring. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
handspring
noun
hand·spring
ˈhan(d)-ˌspriŋ
: 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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