a sport that involves exercises intended to display strength and balance and agility
"She spent hours practicing gymnastics to master flips and holds that require immense strength, balance, and agility."
A sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness.
"At the competition, the gymnast performed a flawless routine that showcased incredible physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness."
In plain English: Gymnastics is a sport where people do exercises that need them to be very strong and flexible while balancing on equipment like beams or rings.
"She spent all afternoon practicing gymnastics at the local community center."
Usage: Gymnastics refers to competitive sports like artistic or rhythmic gymnastics rather than general exercise routines at a gym. Use this term specifically for structured athletic events that demand high levels of balance and coordination on apparatuses such as the beam or bars.
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.