Meaning & use
do a cannonball
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
To jump into water with your knees bent and pulled up to your chest, making a large splash.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase: do a cannonball. The subject is a person.
Patterns
- do a cannonball into something
- do a cannonball off something
The kids were doing cannonballs into the pool all afternoon.
He climbed onto the diving board and did a cannonball that soaked everyone nearby.
She did a cannonball off the side of the boat and splashed her friends.
Common combinations
- do a cannonball into the pool
- They dared him to do a cannonball into the pool.
- do a cannonball off the diving board
- She did a cannonball off the diving board and got a perfect score.
- do cannonballs
- The boys spent the morning doing cannonballs and laughing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jump in
- This is a general phrase for entering water; 'do a cannonball' specifically means jumping with knees pulled up to make a splash.
- belly flop
- This means landing flat on your stomach in the water, usually by accident and often painfully; it is not the same as a cannonball.
Commonly confused: do a cannonball or cannonball?
do a cannonball vs cannonball
As a noun, a cannonball is a heavy round metal ball fired from a cannon. The phrase 'do a cannonball' is only about jumping into water.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'do a cannonball' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase means to jump into water with knees pulled up, so it fits the lake context. The other options describe places or activities where jumping into water is not happening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “do a cannonball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.