From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsomersaultsom‧er‧sault /ˈsʌməsɔːlt $ -ərsɒːlt/ noun [countable] 1 DSTURN British English a movement in which someone rolls or jumps forwards or backwards so that their feet go over their head before they stand up againdo/turn a somersault Lana turned a somersault in midair.2 American English a forward roll —somersault verb [intransitive] He crashed into the table, somersaulted over it and landed on the carpet.
Examples from the Corpus
somersault• I was taught how to do a somersault on top of leather mats as lumpy as my face after a bad fight.• My stomach contracted and my heart went into a somersault.• Then her heart did a double somersault.• The Paul Jones and the emotional somersaults when the music stopped and they came face to face for the very first time.• Apparently a couple of somersaults ensured a complete write-off.• Tricks and routines also have become drastically more complex and high-flying, with triple somersaults even on the beam now the norm.• Suddenly one hurtled past the riders' Piper plane from underneath, sending the aircraft into a vicious somersault.do/turn a somersault• He could do somersaults and cartwheels and he could walk on his hands carrying a plate of Eccles cakes on one foot.• Janice did a backward somersault on the mat.• Sometimes she turns somersaults as she goes.• Their coordination is less well-developed, too: they find it harder to turn somersaults or hold a pencil properly for long.• I was taught how to do a somersault on top of leather mats as lumpy as my face after a bad fight.• Do your tricks. Turn somersaults and climb up the underside of a ladder with your armour on.• True, my sister and I usually do somersaults on that bed.somersaulted over• Macklin then braked, Levagh caught Macklin's car and somersaulted over the safety barrier into the crowd.• To have reached this position, he must have somersaulted over the bull's head.• He crashed into a table, somersaulted over it and landed heavily on the carpet.Origin somersault (1500-1600) Old French sombresaut, from Latin super “over” + saltus “jump” 