Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

acrobat

/ˈæk.ɹə.bæt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.72 in modern English

Syllables: ac-ro-bat
IPA: /ˈæk.ɹə.bæt/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An athlete who performs acts requiring skill, agility and coordination, often as part of a circus performance.

verb

To practise acrobatics.

verb

To move like an acrobat (with agility, balance, long leaps, etc.).

Example Sentences

"Tumbling is different from posturing, and means throwing summersets and walking on your hands; and acrobating means the two together […]"
"They seem to think as clowning and acrobating is a downright paradise, and comes as naturally to anybody as the measles."
"Mother was teaching me the tight-rope; I’d learned a bit of acrobating, too."
"The others were fairly hulking teenagers in terrible costumes and makeup, who tapped, acrobated, sang, recited, played saxoophones, and did bad magic […]"
"We have known […] veteran reporters, so dumbfounded and confounded by the first fire of Ralph, and his grand and lofty acrobating in elocution, that they up, seized their hat and paper, and sloped, horrified at the prospect of an attempt to “take down” Mr. Emerson."
"[…] I laughed at the very idea of one of those heavy-pouched, blue-clad fellows catching hold of an agile fellow like I was, who had on more than one occasion acrobated from the engine’s tender back to the rear end of the caboose, by swinging and vaulting from truck to truck, underneath long freight trains running at top speed, with no member of the ever-alert train crew having discovered him."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Hellenic [Term?] Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́κρος (ắkros) Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥yéti Proto-Hellenic *gʷəňňō Proto-Indo-European *gʷeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *égʷēn Ancient Greek βαίνω (baínō) Ancient Greek βᾰτός (bătós) Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs) Ancient Greek -βάτης (-bátēs) Ancient Greek ἀκροβάτης (akrobátēs)bor. French acrobateder. English acrobat From French acrobate, from Ancient Greek ἀκροβάτης (akrobátēs, “walking on tiptoe, climbing aloft”), from ἀκροβατέω (akrobatéō, “to walk on tiptoe”), from ἄκρον (ákron, “highest or farthest point, mountain top, peak”) + βαίνω (baínō, “to walk, step”).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₂eḱ-, acrobate, ἀκροβάτης

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈæk.ɹə.bæt/

Inflected Forms

acrobats (plural) acrobats (present, singular) acrobating (participle, present) acrobated (participle, past) acrobated (past)

Derived Forms

acrobatess acrobatic acrobatics acrobatism philobat

Phrases

acrobat ant acro-

Frequently Paired Words

Acrobates Acrobatidae acro-

Rhymes With

that at fat cat big cat flat sat chat combat matt hat old hat

Questions

How do you pronounce acrobat?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæk.ɹə.bæt/.
What does acrobat mean?: An athlete who performs acts requiring skill, agility and coordination, often as part of a circus performance.
Where does acrobat come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce acrobat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “acrobat”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈæk.ɹə.bæt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “acrobat”.
Repeat and practice — Say “acrobat” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.