What does vaulting mean?
Vaulting describes the act of leaping over or onto an object by planting the hands and pushing the body through with the legs. It is especially associated with gymnastics, where vaulting is a core event, and with pole vaulting, an athletic discipline in which competitors use a long pole to clear a high bar. As a present participle, “vaulting” can describe either the action or the person doing it, as in “a vaulting horse” or “a vaulting athlete.” The word can also have a figurative, literary sense: “vaulting ambition” describes aspirations that rise rapidly or dramatically. In everyday use, “vaulting” usually evokes athletic movement and controlled explosive power. Its history comes through the English word “vault,” whose verb sense ultimately derives from a Romance and Latin tradition associated with leaping. The similarly spelled architectural noun “vault,” referring to an arched room or ceiling, has a separate historical origin from Latin “volvere,” meaning to roll or turn.
The activity of leaping over or onto an object using the hands and feet, especially in gymnastics or pole vault.
"Her athletic training includes running, jumping, and vaulting."
The noun is commonly used as an uncountable name for the activity or sport. “Vaultings” is a rare, generally pluralized form.
Present participle of “vault,” meaning to leap over or onto something using the hands and feet.
"The horse was trained for vaulting."
This form can describe the action itself or a person performing it.
Rising or soaring rapidly, especially in the figurative expression “vaulting ambition.”
"The company announced a vaulting plan for international expansion."
This literary and figurative use is less common than the athletic senses.
Rare and generally used only when referring to separate acts or performances of vaulting; the uncountable singular is more usual.
"The gymnast's two vaultings were both clean and technically precise."
The same word leads to two different worlds: the arched ceiling of a medieval building and the explosive leap of a gymnast.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vaulting come from?
The verb “vault” in the sense of leaping comes through Old French and Medieval Latin from Latin “saltare,” meaning “to leap,” a root also reflected in cognates such as “saltation,” “salient,” “assault,” and “insult.” The present-participle form “vaulting” developed from that verb and became common in athletic contexts, especially gymnastics. The architectural noun “vault” is a separate homograph: it comes through Old French “volte” from Latin “volvere,” “to roll or turn,” describing the curved construction of an arch.
Related word forms
How vaulting is actually used
In its athletic senses, “vaulting” is standard in British and American English. The expression “vaulting ambition” is literary and connotes ambition that rises rapidly or impressively, often beyond practical limits.
Easily confused with vaulting
“Vault” can name the act of leaping or an arched structure, whereas “vaulting” usually describes the act or its present participle.