To dismount means to get down from something you've been riding or sitting on top of, like a horse, bicycle, or gymnastics apparatus. When a gymnast finishes her routine on the balance beam, she dismounts by leaping or flipping off and landing on her feet. A cowboy dismounts from his horse by swinging his leg over and dropping to the ground.

Dismounting is simply the opposite of mounting. When you're learning to ride a bike, dismounting safely matters just as much as pedaling smoothly. You need to slow down, put one foot on the ground, and swing your other leg over the seat.

As a noun, a dismount is the act of getting down, especially in sports like gymnastics. In gymnastics competitions, the dismount often counts as the most important part of the routine because it's the last thing judges see. A gymnast might perform a spectacular routine but lose points with a wobbly dismount. Skilled gymnasts practice their dismounts hundreds of times to stick the landing perfectly, standing still and balanced instead of stumbling forward.