back flips

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Jumps in which a person leaps backward and turns the body over completely in the air.

   Grammar: Countable and usually plural here; the singular is 'a backflip'.

   Patterns

   • do a backflip
   • perform backflips
   • land a backflip

   The gymnast did three backflips in a row without stopping.

   He landed the backflip perfectly and the crowd cheered.

   Kids were doing backflips into the pool all afternoon.

2. 2nouncountablefigurativeinformal

   A complete change of opinion or policy, especially one that seems to reverse an earlier strong position.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with 'do' or 'perform' in a figurative way.

   Patterns

   • do a backflip on something
   • perform a backflip over something

   The mayor did a backflip on the new parking rules after residents complained.

   Critics accused the party of doing backflips to win votes.

   His sudden backflip on the tax plan surprised everyone.

Word forms

Common combinations

do a backflip

She can do a backflip off the diving board.

land a backflip

It took him months to land a backflip safely.

a double backflip

The skier pulled off a double backflip in the final run.

backflips into the water

The boys were doing backflips into the lake.

a policy backflip

The minister's policy backflip angered his own supporters.

Synonyms and how they differ

somersault

This is the general word for rolling the body over, forward or backward, and is more common outside sports commentary.

flip

A shorter, informal word for a quick turn in the air; it does not always mean the body goes fully over backward.

Opposites

Word family

backflip verb

To perform a backward jump with a full turn in the air.

flip verb

To turn over quickly, often in the air or with a quick movement.

flip noun

A quick turning movement.

Commonly confused: back flips or cartwheel?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “back flips”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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