parkour
parkour — noun
1. a sport, originally from France, where you cross urban spaces on foot by running
a sport, originally from France, where you cross urban spaces on foot by running, jumping, vaulting, and climbing over walls, railings, rooftops, and other obstacles, choosing the fastest and most efficient route possible.
Yusuke discovered parkour at fifteen and now trains in Tokyo three times a week.
uncountable: discovered/practised parkour
The documentary follows a group of teenagers who do parkour across the rooftops of Lisbon.
collocation: do parkour
Yusuke landed a long jump between two rooftops during his first parkour lesson in Osaka.
Maya broke her wrist last summer practising parkour on a concrete staircase near the river.
Many city councils now build small parks where young people can train in parkour safely.
- free running
very close in meaning; free running adds more flips and tricks for visual style, while parkour focuses on efficient travel
- l'art du déplacement
the original French term used by founders; rare in English
文法句型
do parkour
practise parkour
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable, with no article: say 'do parkour' or 'practise parkour', not 'do a parkour'. The person who does it is called a 'traceur' (male) or 'traceuse' (female), or simply a 'parkour athlete'.
常見錯誤
Wrong: 'I did a parkour yesterday.' Right: 'I did parkour yesterday.' — parkour is uncountable, so no 'a' and no plural.
Wrong: 'Parkour is a kind of skateboarding.' Right: 'Parkour is a sport done on foot, without any equipment.' — confusing parkour with wheeled sports.
parkour — verb
1. to travel through a built-up area by jumping, vaulting, and climbing over the ob
to travel through a built-up area by jumping, vaulting, and climbing over the obstacles in your path, in the style of the sport of parkour.
The two boys parkoured across the rooftops in the opening scene of the film.
intransitive + across + place
Carlos parkoured over the low wall and landed softly on the grass.
intransitive + over + obstacle
Lina parkours to school every morning, vaulting fences and benches along the way.
A young woman parkoured through the empty market, leaping from one stall to the next.
文法句型
parkour over/across/through + place
用法筆記
Used as a verb chiefly in informal speech and journalism; many writers still prefer 'do parkour' as a fixed phrase. Almost always intransitive and followed by a directional preposition (over, across, through, around).
常見錯誤
Wrong: 'He parkoured the wall.' Right: 'He parkoured over the wall.' — the verb needs a preposition like 'over' or 'across'; you do not parkour something directly.