gymnastic

1 of 2

adjective

gym·​nas·​tic jim-ˈna-stik How to pronounce gymnastic (audio)
: of or relating to gymnastics : athletic
gymnastically adverb

gymnastic

2 of 2

noun

1
gymnastics jim-ˈna-stiks How to pronounce gymnastic (audio) 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 gymnasticJohn Dewey
mental gymnastics
3
: a physical feat or contortion
the gymnastics necessary for the killer to have swung from the fire escapeE. D. Radin

Examples of gymnastic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Skenes played on the baseball team while Dunne still competes with the gymnastic team — now in her fifth and final season. Marissa Muller, WWD, 26 Jan. 2025 His gymnastic studio’s website domain went offline. Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
The Prior Lake gymnastics team earned its best team score of the season in a strong field at the Lakeville North Invitational Jan. 13. Tom Schardin, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025 One of my daughters used to run track, another is in gymnastics and is considering playing volleyball. Nicole Russell, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for gymnastic 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1574, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gymnastic was in 1574

Dictionary Entries Near gymnastic

Cite this Entry

“Gymnastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gymnastic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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