What does cannonballing mean?
Cannonballing refers to the act of jumping into a body of water while tucking the body tightly into a rounded shape, with the knees pulled toward the chest and arms wrapped around the legs. The name comes from the resemblance between the jumper's compact form and an old iron cannonball; the tucked posture also maximizes the dramatic splash on impact, which is precisely the point for swimmers who compete informally to see who can make the biggest one. The word derives from the noun 'cannonball' combined with the '-ing' gerund form, and it carries a distinctly playful, informal connotation: it belongs to childhood summers, swimming pools, lakes, and diving boards rather than formal athletic competition. Because the technique produces an uncontrolled entry, many public pools discourage or prohibit it for safety reasons. A rarer, colloquial sense uses the word to describe moving very quickly, as when someone goes cannonballing down a road, but this usage remains secondary and chiefly American.
To jump into water with the body curled into a tight ball, knees drawn to the chest, producing a large splash.
"She cannonballed off the dock, soaking everyone nearby."
Almost always used in recreational, informal contexts; the -ing form functions as the present participle or gerund of the verb 'cannonball'.
An instance of jumping into water in this manner; informally, a period of very fast movement or travel.
"Her biggest cannonballing of the day came right before closing time."
As a countable noun it denotes the act itself; the fast-movement sense is rare and colloquial.
Cannonballing turns a simple jump into a contest — the tighter you tuck, the bigger the splash, which is exactly why it's banned at so many swimming pools.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cannonballing
Cannonballing derives from the English compound noun 'cannonball', itself formed from 'cannon' plus 'ball'. The word 'cannon' entered English in the late Middle Ages from French, ultimately from Italian 'cannone', meaning 'large tube' or 'augmentative of canna' (a reed or tube), which traces back to Latin 'canna' and earlier Greek 'kanna'. The verbal use of 'cannonball' — to jump into water in a tucked position — arose in twentieth-century American English, and cannonballing is simply its gerund form.
Related word forms
How cannonballing is actually used
Cannonballing is informal and playful in register, used almost exclusively in casual speech about swimming pools, lakes, and other recreational settings. The second sense — moving very fast — is much less common and largely colloquial American English.
Easily confused with cannonballing
Canvassing means soliciting votes or opinions door-to-door, whereas cannonballing is jumping into water in a tucked position.