somersault

noun som·er·sault \ ˈsə-mər-ˌsȯlt \

variants: or less commonly summersault

Definition of somersault

: a movement (as in gymnastics) in which a person turns forward or backward in a complete revolution along the ground or in the air bringing the feet over the head; also : a falling or tumbling head over heels

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somersault

intransitive verb

See somersault defined for English-language learners

See somersault defined for kids

Examples of somersault in a Sentence

The gymnast turned a somersault.

Recent Examples of somersault from the Web

Suddenly, the big black wolf tripped over brush and rolled in a somersault.

— ben huberman, Longreads, "An Oregon Wolf, Profiled," 4 Nov. 2017
The first involves various crawls that warm up the muscles and might even include somersaults and frog hops.

— jen murphy, WSJ, "Struggles With Depression Lead to Polynesian-Inspired Kiakahi," 23 Sep. 2017
Jeff Davis, an accomplished gymnast, executed the flips as well as Inigo’s somersault over Westley’s head.

— michele wojciechowski, vanityfair.com, "How The Princess Bride Built Film’s Most Beloved Sword Fight," 9 Oct. 2017
Jeff Davis, an accomplished gymnast, executed the flips as well as Inigo’s somersault over Westley’s head.

— michele wojciechowski, HWD, "How The Princess Bride Built Film’s Most Beloved Sword Fight," 9 Oct. 2017
Halfway down the building, that decoration even turns a somersault as a band of ornate terra cotta goes from sitting flat on the facade above the narrow embrasures to becoming a protruding cornice over the wider ones.

— blake gopnik, New York Times, "Reviving the Joy of Decoration at Nike’s New SoHo Building," 1 Oct. 2017
Elliott’s 30-yard run midway through the second quarter broke Dallas’ offensive funk, and Prescott’s scintillating somersault into the end zone represented the Cowboys’ first points.

— albert breer, SI.com, "Game Plan: ‘Statement Game’ Has Cowboys’ Confidence High For Rest of Season," 28 Sep. 2017
The illusion requires acting and strong swimming skills: Anderson does underwater somersaults, back-flips, corkscrews and barrel rolls influenced by stunt flying.

— andrea januta and jennifer lu, miamiherald, "From cruise ship brewmaster to hurricane hunter, these are some of our unusual jobs," 3 Sep. 2017
Of course, those memories typically involved double-bounces, synchronized somersaults, and front flips with friends—not repeated tiny bounces, squats, and plyometrics that leave me dry-heaving and sweating profusely.

— julia sullivan, SELF, "I Tried 9 Unique Workout Classes to Try to Break Out of My Fitness Rut," 25 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'somersault.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of somersault

Middle French sombresaut leap, ultimately from Latin super over + saltus leap, from salire to jump — more at over, sally

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1530

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

SOMERSAULT Defined for English Language Learners

somersault

noun

Definition of somersault for English Language Learners

: a forward or backward movement of your body on the ground or in the air that is made by bringing your feet over your head

SOMERSAULT Defined for Kids

somersault

noun som·er·sault \ ˈsə-mər-ˌsȯlt \

Definition of somersault for Students

: a movement in which someone makes a complete turn by bringing the feet over the head

History for somersault

If you pay attention only to its sound, somersault is rather puzzling, because going head over heels has nothing to do with summer or salt. The spelling, however, suggests that the key to its history lies elsewhere. Somersault comes from a 16th-century French word sombresaut, made up of sombre or sobre, “over,” and saut, “jump.”