noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK, US:/d͡ʒɪmˈnæs.tɪks/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:JH IH0 M N AE1 S T IH0 K S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Gymnastics was a significant part of the physical education curriculum.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Complex intellectual or artistic exercises or feats of physical agility.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
His mental gymnastics are legendary.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a sport that involves exercises intended to display strength and balance and agility
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gymnastic exercise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sport, athletics
Narrower terms: acrobatics, tumbling
History
Etymology
From gymnastic: see -ics; from Latin gymnasticus, from Ancient Greek γυμναστικός (gumnastikós), from γυμναστής (gumnastḗs, “athlete, gymnast”), from γῠμνᾰ́ζω (gŭmnắzō, “to train, exercise”), from γυμνός (gumnós, “naked”), because Greek athletes trained naked. By surface analysis, gymnast + -ics.
Across languages
Translations
67 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
جُمْبَاز
(jumbāz)
— a sport
Armenian:
մարմնամարզություն
(marmnamarzutʻyun)
— a sport
Azerbaijani:
gimnastika
— a sport
Bulgarian:
гимна́стика
(gimnástika)
— a sport
Catalan:
gimnàstica
— a sport
Chinese Mandarin:
體操 /体操
(tǐcāo)
— a sport
Chinese Mandarin:
體育 /体育
(tǐyù)
— a sport
Czech:
gymnastika
— a sport
Danish:
gymnastik
— a sport
Dutch:
gymnastiek
— a sport
Esperanto:
gimnastiko
— a sport
Finnish:
voimistelu
— a sport
French:
gymnastique
— a sport
Galician:
ximnasia
— a sport
German:
Turnen
— a sport
German:
Gymnastik
— a sport
Greek:
γυμναστική
(gymnastikí)
— a sport
Hebrew:
הִתְעַמְּלוּת
— a sport
Hungarian:
gimnasztika
— a sport
Hungarian:
torna
— a sport
Icelandic:
fimleikar
— a sport
Ido:
gimnastiko
— a sport
Indonesian:
senam
— a sport
Indonesian:
gimnastik
— a sport
Italian:
ginnastica
— a sport
Japanese:
体操
(taisō)
— a sport
Japanese:
体育
(taiiku)
— a sport
Korean:
체조
(chejo)
— a sport
Latvian:
vingrošana
— a sport
Macedonian:
гимнастика
(gimnastika)
— a sport
Malay:
gerak badan
— a sport
Malay:
gimnastik
— a sport
Malay:
taiso
— a sport
Māori:
takaporepore
— a sport
Norwegian:
gymnastikk
— a sport
Norwegian:
turn
— a sport
Persian:
ژیمناستیک
(žīmnāstīk)
— a sport
Polish:
gimnastyka
— a sport
Portuguese:
ginástica
— a sport
Romanian:
gimnastică
— a sport
Russian:
гимна́стика
(gimnástika)
— a sport
Sanskrit:
दाक्ष
(dākṣa)
— a sport
Serbo-Croatian:
гимнастика
— a sport
Serbo-Croatian:
тјеловјежба
— a sport
Serbo-Croatian:
gimnastika
— a sport
Serbo-Croatian:
tjelovježba
— a sport
Spanish:
gimnasia
— a sport
Spanish:
gimnástica
— a sport
Swedish:
gymnastik
— a sport
Tagalog:
palakatwanan
— a sport
Turkish:
jimnastik
— a sport
Ukrainian:
гімна́стика
(himnástyka)
— a sport
Uzbek:
gimnastika
— a sport
Vietnamese:
thể dục
— a sport
Walloon:
djimlastike
— a sport
Yiddish:
גימנאַסטיק
(gimnastik)
— a sport
Esperanto:
akrobataĵo
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Finnish:
harjoitus
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
German:
Gymnastik
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Greek:
ακροβατισμός
(akrovatismós)
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Italian:
ginnastica
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Macedonian:
гимнастика
(gimnastika)
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Polish:
gimnastyka
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Russian:
гимна́стика
(gimnástika)
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Serbo-Croatian:
gimnàstika
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Serbo-Croatian:
tjèlovježba
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
Vietnamese:
sự rèn luyện
— complex intellectual or artistic exercise
