Fosbury flop

noun

A high jump in which the jumper leaps backward and arches the back over the bar, thereby lowering the jumper's center of gravity below the body while it is aloft.

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Meanings

nounFosbury flop (plural Fosbury flops)

plural Fosbury flops

  1. athleticsA high jump in which the jumper leaps backward and arches the back over the bar, thereby lowering the jumper's center of gravity below the body while it is aloft.

Origin

Named for Dick Fosbury, who brought the technique to light in the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish floppityyli
  • floppityylihigh jump
Italian fosbury
  • fosburyhigh jump
Japanese 背面跳び
  • 背面跳び (haimen-tobi)high jump
Russian фо́сбери-флоп
  • фо́сбери-флоп (fósberi-flop)high jump
Cite this entry
APA

Fosbury flop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fosbury%20flop

MLA

“Fosbury flop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fosbury%20flop. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Fosbury flop,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fosbury%20flop.

Source: Fosbury flop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.