Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To perform a backward somersault, especially in the air.
  • noun A backward somersault.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An act of rotating one's body 360 degrees in the backward direction.
  • noun by extension a total reversal in policy or opinion; a volte-face, an U-turn.
  • verb To perform a backflip (rotation of body)
  • verb To completely reverse a policy or opinion; perform a U-turn.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word backflip.

Examples

  • NASA has released a video of the Endeavour performing the "rendez pitch maneuver" which NASA dubs a "backflip" as it arrived at the ISS for the last time.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • The backflip is a win for Kids Free 2B Kids, which asked the ASB to revisit complaints about the bus ad.

    NEWS.com.au | Top Stories 2010

  • The proposed delay is widely characterized as a "backflip" and has caused Mr. Rudd a lot of embarrassment this week.

    Cap-and-Trade Backflip 2009

  • The reversal, or "backflip," has caused Mr. Rudd much embarrassment.

    Carbon Reality, Again 2009

  • Dave's gut did a kind of backflip in revulsion as the boy briefly dissolved into a cloud of smoke, then faded back in again.

    Children Of The Night Lackey, Mercedes 1990

  • He offered two excuses: the need for more time to judge any global actions on climate change before Australia goes ahead itself; and the opposition's "backflip" in parliament.

    The Economist: Correspondent's diary 2010

  • The opposition says it's back to "business as usual" for the hospital system after the latest Labor "backflip".

    Latest News - Yahoo!7 News 2010

  • What's with the obsession over Howard's "backflip" on the GST.

    The Sydney Morning Herald News Headlines 2010

  • It sought to highlight the "backflip" performed by Storm chairman Rob Moodie and his fellow non News-aligned directors, Petra Fawcett, Peter Maher and Gerry Ryan who are now suing the

    Latest News - Yahoo!7 News 2010

  • Help function was turned off when we tested the app before its official launch, and there are some interface issues with the Explore window on the Motorola Backflip while in "backflip" mode.

    The Download Blog: Software tips, news, and opinions from Download.com editors 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.