jump
Americanverb (used without object)
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jumps,
present (3rd person singular)
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jumped,
past participle, past
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jumping
present participle
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to spring clear of the ground or other support by a sudden muscular effort; leap.
to jump into the air;
to jump out a window.
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to rise suddenly or quickly.
He jumped from his seat when she entered.
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to move or jerk suddenly, as from surprise or shock.
He jumped when the firecracker exploded.
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to obey quickly and energetically; hustle.
The waiter was told to jump when the captain signaled.
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Informal. to be full of activity; bustle.
The whole town is jumping with excitement.
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to start a campaign, program, military attack, etc.; launch an activity, especially of major proportions (usually followed byoff ).
The march jumped off early in the morning.
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Checkers. to move from one side of an opponent's piece to a vacant square on the opposite side, thus capturing the opponent's piece.
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to rise suddenly in amount, price, etc..
Costs jumped again this quarter.
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to pass abruptly, ignoring intervening steps or deliberation.
to jump to a conclusion.
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to change abruptly.
The traffic light jumped from green to red.
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to move or change suddenly, haphazardly, aimlessly, or after a short period.
He jumped from job to job.
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to pass or go aimlessly.
He jumped from one thing to another without being able to concentrate on anything.
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Digital Technology. to pass instantaneously, and sometimes randomly, to a point out of sequence for entering, recording, or playing back data; skip.
Notice that when you press "End" the cursor jumps to the end of the line.
The music streaming service keeps jumping back to the top of the playlist.
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to parachute from an airplane.
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to take eagerly; seize (often followed byat ).
He jumped at the offer of a free trip.
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to enter into something with vigor (usually followed by in orinto ).
She jumped into the discussion right away.
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to advance rapidly from one level to another, especially in rank; pass through or skip intermediate stages in a forward or upward progression.
He jumped from clerk to general manager in a year.
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Movies. (of a shot or frame) to fail to line up properly with the preceding or following frames because of a mechanical fault in the camera or projector.
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Bridge. to make a jump bid.
She jumped from three clubs to four spades.
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Journalism. (of newspaper copy) to continue on a subsequent page, following intervening copy (opposed to turn).
verb (used with object)
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jumps,
present (3rd person singular)
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jumped,
past participle, past
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jumping
present participle
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to leap or spring over.
to jump a narrow stream.
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to cause to leap.
She jumped the horse over the fence.
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to skip or pass over; bypass.
to jump the third grade in school.
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to move past or start before (a signal); anticipate.
One car jumped the red light and collided with a truck.
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to increase sharply.
The store jumped its prices.
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Checkers. to capture (an opponent's piece) by leaping over.
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to attack or pounce upon without warning, as from ambush.
The thugs jumped him in a dark alley.
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to elevate or advance, especially in rank, by causing to skip or pass rapidly through intermediate stages.
The boss jumped his son from mail clerk to plant manager.
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Bridge. to raise (the bid) by more than necessary to reach the next bidding level, especially as a signal to one's partner.
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Informal.
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to abscond from; leave.
The robbers jumped town.
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to flee or escape from.
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to seize or occupy illegally or forcibly (a mining claim or the like), as on the ground of some flaw in the holder's title.
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(of trains, trolleys, etc.) to spring off or leave (the track).
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to get on board (a train, bus, etc.) quickly or with little planning or preparation for the trip.
He jumped a plane for Chicago.
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Journalism. to continue (a story) from one page to another over intervening copy.
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Metalworking. to upset; thicken (a bar or the like) by striking the end (often followed byup ).
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Slang: Vulgar. to engage in an act of sexual intercourse with.
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to connect (a dead battery) to a live battery by attaching booster cables between the respective terminals.
noun
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jumps
plural
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an act or instance of jumping; leap.
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a space, obstacle, apparatus, or the like, cleared or to be cleared in a leap.
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a short or hurried journey.
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a descent by parachute from an airplane.
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a sudden rise in amount, price, etc..
a considerable jump in the stock market.
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a sudden upward or other movement of an inanimate object.
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an abrupt transition from one point or thing to another, with omission of what intervenes.
The speaker made an unexplained jump in topic.
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a move or one of a series of moves.
The gangster stayed one jump ahead of the police.
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Sports. any of several contests that feature a leap or jump.
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Movies. a break in the continuity of action due to a failure to match the action of one frame with the following one of the same scene.
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a sudden start as from nervous excitement.
He gave a jump when the firecracker went off.
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Checkers. the act of taking an opponent's piece by leaping over it to an unoccupied square.
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Informal. the jumps, restlessness; nervousness; anxiety.
Long trips in trains and planes give me the jumps.
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Also called breakover. Journalism. the part of a story continued on another page.
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Mathematics. the difference in limit values at a jump discontinuity of a given function.
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Automotive. jump-start.
adjective
adverb
verb phrase
idioms
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jump the shark. shark.
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jump ship. ship.
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jump all over, to reprimand or criticize.
You don't have to jump all over me just because I'm a little late.
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jump the gun. gun.
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jump down someone's throat. throat.
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get / have the jump on, to get or have a head start or an initial advantage over.
They got the jump on us in selling the item, but we finally caught up.
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jump aboard / on board, to join a group, activity, etc., especially one that has been operating or functioning for some time.
After some hesitation, he jumped aboard and contributed heavily to the campaign.
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jump bail. bail.
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on the jump, in a hurry; running about.
Lively youngsters keep their parents on the jump.
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jump in / into with both feet, to join or enter into exuberantly, eagerly, hastily, etc.
verb
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(intr) to leap or spring clear of the ground or other surface by using the muscles in the legs and feet
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(tr) to leap over or clear (an obstacle)
to jump a gap
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(tr) to cause to leap over an obstacle
to jump a horse over a hedge
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(intr) to move or proceed hastily (into, onto, out of, etc)
she jumped into a taxi and was off
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informal (tr) to board so as to travel illegally on
he jumped the train as it was leaving
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(intr) to parachute from an aircraft
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(intr) to jerk or start, as with astonishment, surprise, etc
she jumped when she heard the explosion
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to rise or cause to rise suddenly or abruptly
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to pass or skip over (intervening objects or matter)
she jumped a few lines and then continued reading
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(intr) to change from one thing to another, esp from one subject to another
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(tr) to drill by means of a jumper
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(intr)
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to have sections of a continuous sequence omitted, as through faulty cutting
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to flicker, as through faulty alignment of the film
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(tr) to promote in rank, esp unexpectedly or to a higher rank than expected
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(tr) to start (a car) using jump leads
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draughts to capture (an opponent's piece) by moving one of one's own pieces over it to an unoccupied square
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(intr) bridge to bid in response to one's partner at a higher level than is necessary, to indicate a strong hand
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(tr) to come off (a track, rail, etc)
the locomotive jumped the rails
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(intr) (of the stylus of a record player) to be jerked out of the groove
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slang (intr) to be lively
the party was jumping when I arrived
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informal (tr) to attack without warning
thieves jumped the old man as he walked through the park
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informal (tr) (of a driver or a motor vehicle) to pass through (a red traffic light) or move away from (traffic lights) before they change to green
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slang (tr) (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with
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to forfeit one's bail by failing to appear in court, esp by absconding
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informal to address or reply to someone with unexpected sharpness
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to desert, esp to leave a ship in which one is legally bound to serve
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See queue-jump
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informal to begin something quickly and efficiently
noun
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an act or instance of jumping
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a space, distance, or obstacle to be jumped or that has been jumped
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a descent by parachute from an aircraft
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sport any of several contests involving a jump
the high jump
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a sudden rise
the jump in prices last month
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a sudden or abrupt transition
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a sudden jerk or involuntary muscular spasm, esp as a reaction of surprise
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a step or degree
one jump ahead
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draughts a move that captures an opponent's piece by jumping over it
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films
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a break in continuity in the normal sequence of shots
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( as modifier )
a jump cut
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computing another name for branch
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slang an act of sexual intercourse
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informal
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in a hurry
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busy and energetic
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informal a contemptuous expression of dismissal
Synonym Usage
Jump, leap, vault imply propelling oneself by a muscular effort, either into the air or from one position or place to another. Jump and leap are often used interchangeably, but jump indicates more particularly the springing movement of the feet in leaving the ground or support: to jump up and down. Leap (which formerly also meant to run) indicates the passage, by a springing movement of the legs, from one point or position to another: to leap across a brook. Vault implies leaping, especially with the aid of the hands or some instrument, over or upon something: to vault ( over ) a fence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jumpsimple
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jumpssimple
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have jumpedperfect
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has jumpedperfect
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am jumpingprogressive
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are jumpingprogressive
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is jumpingprogressive
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have been jumpingperfect progressive
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has been jumpingperfect progressive
Past
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jumpedsimple
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had jumpedperfect
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was jumpingprogressive
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were jumpingprogressive
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had been jumpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jump
First recorded in 1505–15; compare Danish gumpe “to jolt,” gimpe “to move up and down,” Swedish gumpa, Low German gumpen “to jump”
Explanation
To jump is to hop or leap, straight up or over something. Frogs, amazingly, are able to jump up to twenty times the length of their body. You can jump over a puddle or over the jump rope your friends are turning. You might jump in surprise or fear, like when a scary noise in the night makes you jump, or startle. You can jump off of something, like a diving board, or figuratively jump into an activity. If a bully jumps you, he attacks you suddenly, and if your brother says, "Go jump in a lake," he means "Go away, you're bothering me."
Vocabulary lists containing jump
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“You must develop step by step—you cannot jump to first-in-class drug when you just start,” Sciwind’s Pan said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The first reason many people jump to is cost.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Is it any wonder that “Widow’s Bay,” which miraculously serves up equal portions of jump scares and belly laughs, is this season’s hottest series?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Treasury yields were surging early Thursday as traders are growing more anxious about the latest jump in oil prices and inflation data.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Bruno looked through the trees as if a wolf might jump out from them at any moment.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Exercises in the competition are similar to those found in athletic gyms, such as burpee broad jumps and sandbag lunges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Singer said that the jumps in demand for AI and spending on the the buildout of the tech were “hard to ignore.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Rachel jumps in: “It was a different time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Marvell stock jumps after the chip maker announces it issued a warrant to Google to purchase up to 59 million shares.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
He races past everyone, jumps onto the sofa next to Nana Abu, and buries his face in the pillows.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
When I was done in Studio City, I drove across town to meet with construction worker and pastor Juan Galicia, whose house was torched in March when fire jumped from an adjacent abandoned property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
The area around present-day Shangri-La began to grow rich as Drolma’s family and other ethnic Tibetans jumped into harvesting the mushrooms, which grow naturally on the oaks and pines of the Eastern Himalayas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
While vaccination rates in Ohio have fallen, Cleveland is making improvements — rates for children entering kindergarten there have jumped from 68 percent a few years ago to 76 percent this past school year.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
Lerma said he saw children who had also jumped in the water, though he could not make out their faces in the dark.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
If Jimbo had opened his big mouth and jumped at me, I would have fainted dead away.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
"I didn't even realise. I was just like, 'oh, I'm jumping on tables, don't fall off the table, Sam, sing'."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
During Friday's conference, a protestor was escorted out after jumping on stage and shouting, while wearing a t-shirt that said "kids deserve better."
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Flush with cash, many college football players are jumping into the real-estate market and buying homes in their university towns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Videographers, keep your cameras aimed at Benson, because you never know what highlight he might produce jumping, running or leaping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Just then, he heard screams and saw kids jumping up in the group gathered around Gary.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
