Somersault vs. Tumble — What's the Difference?

A somersault (also flip, heli, and in gymnastics salto) is an acrobatic exercise in which a person's body rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the head. A somersault can be performed forwards, backwards or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground.

To perform acrobatic feats such as somersaults, rolls, or twists.

An acrobatic stunt in which the body rolls forward or backward in a complete revolution with the knees bent and the feet coming over the head. Also called somerset; also called regionally tumbleset.

To fall, roll, or move end over end

A complete reversal, as of sympathies or opinions.

To spill, roll out, or emerge in confusion or disorder

To execute a somersault.

To pitch headlong; fall

Starting on one's feet, an instance of rotating one's body 360 degree while airborne or on the ground, with one's feet passing over one's head.

To move quickly or awkwardly

To perform a somersault.

To hang down

A leap in which a person turns his heels over his head and lights upon his feet; a turning end over end.

To collapse

An acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return

To undergo a decline in position, status, or fortune

Do a somersault

To decrease

To come upon accidentally; happen on

(Slang) To come to a sudden understanding; catch on

To cause to fall or collapse; bring down

To put, spill, or toss haphazardly

To toss or whirl in a drum, tumbler, or tumbling box

To cause to lose position, status, or fortune

An act of tumbling; a fall.

A decrease, as in value

A confused or disordered collection or amount of something

A fall, especially end over end.

A disorderly heap.

(informal) An act of sexual intercourse.

(intransitive) To fall end over end; to roll over and over.

(intransitive) To perform gymnastics such as somersaults, rolls, and handsprings.

(intransitive) To drop rapidly.

(transitive) To smoothe and polish, e.g., gemstones or pebbles, by means of a rotating tumbler.

To have sexual intercourse.

(intransitive) To move or rush in a headlong or uncontrolled way.

To muss, to make disorderly; to tousle or rumple.

(cryptocurrency) To obscure the audit trail of funds by means of a tumbler.

To comprehend; often in tumble to.

To roll over, or to and fro; to throw one's self about; as, a person in pain tumbles and tosses.

To roll down; to fall suddenly and violently; to be precipitated; as, to tumble from a scaffold.

To play tricks by various movements and contortions of the body; to perform the feats of an acrobat.

To turn over; to turn or throw about, as for examination or search; to roll or move in a rough, coarse, or unceremonious manner; to throw down or headlong; to precipitate; - sometimes with over, about, etc.; as, to tumble books or papers.

To disturb; to rumple; as, to tumble a bed.

Act of tumbling, or rolling over; a fall.

An acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end

A sudden drop from an upright position;

Fall down, as if collapsing;

Cause to topple or tumble by pushing

Roll over and over, back and forth

Fly around;

Fall apart;

Throw together in a confused mass;

Understand, usually after some initial difficulty;

Fall suddenly and sharply;

Put clothes in a tumbling barrel, where they are whirled about in hot air, usually with the purpose of drying;

Suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat

Do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully