leap
Americanverb (used without object)
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to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump.
to leap over a ditch.
- Synonyms:
- bound
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to move or act quickly or suddenly.
to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
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to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump.
to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.
verb (used with object)
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to jump over.
to leap a fence.
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to pass over as if by a jump.
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to cause to leap.
to leap a horse.
noun
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a spring, jump, or bound; a light, springing movement.
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the distance covered in a leap; distance jumped.
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a place leaped or to be leaped over or from.
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a sudden or abrupt transition.
a successful leap from piano class to concert hall.
-
a sudden and decisive increase.
a leap in the company's profits.
idioms
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leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown.
The experiment was a leap in the dark.
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leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
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by leaps and bounds, very rapidly.
We are progressing by leaps and bounds.
verb
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(intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another
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to move or react quickly
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(tr) to jump over
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to come into prominence rapidly
the thought leapt into his mind
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(tr) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier
noun
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the act of jumping
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a spot from which a leap was or may be made
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the distance of a leap
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an abrupt change or increase
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Also called (US and Canadian): skip. music a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part
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an action performed without knowledge of the consequences
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with unexpectedly rapid progress
Usage
What does leap mean? To leap means to spring or jump from one point to another, as in Sophie leaped over the hole to avoid falling in. A leap is such a jump. To leap also means to move or act suddenly, as in Santiago leapt out of the way of the dogs running toward him. This action, too, is a leap. We use leap figuratively, as well. For example, we might call new software a leap forward in technology or say that a new band has leapt to the top of the charts. People often also leap to conclusions—that is, they make conclusions without hearing all the facts first. They are figuratively jumping over the facts to the conclusion. We can use leap and jump to mean the same things, but there is a bit of a difference. In a leap, the place you land is different from the place you started, while a jump can be straight up and straight back down. Leap appears in a few different idioms. If you’re doing something by leaps and bounds, it means you’re progressing quickly. A leap in the dark is an action with unknown consequences. A leap of faith is trusting in something that cannot be seen or proven. You might also say that your heart leapt into your throat, referring to the sensation in your throat when something scary happens. The past tense of leap can be either leaped or leapt. Example: The movable-type printing press was a great leap forward in technology.
Synonym Usage
See jump.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has leapedperfect 3rd person singular
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have leapedperfect
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has leaptperfect 3rd person singular
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have leaptperfect
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has been leapingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is leapingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are leapingprogressive
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am leapingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been leapingperfect progressive
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leapingparticiple
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leapssingular 3rd person
Past
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had leapedperfect
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had leaptperfect
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was leapingprogressive singular
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were leapingprogressive plural
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had been leapingperfect progressive
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leaptsimple
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leapedparticiple
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leapedsimple
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leaptparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of leap
First recorded before 900; Middle English lepen, Old English hlēapan “to leap, run”; cognate with German laufen, Old Norse hlaupa, Gothic hlaupan
Explanation
The word leap is another word for "jump," but it gives a slightly different image — one of lightness and quickness, perhaps a movement with a little more spring in it than a regular jump. Leap comes from the Old English hlēapan, "to leap or run." The word can convey a happy feeling, as when William Wordsworth writes, "My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky." As a side note, the game of leap-frog appears to have had its beginnings in the 1590s.
Vocabulary lists containing leap
"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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.
To put it another way, it seems inordinately difficult for our media class to make the daring leap from “it quacks like a duck” to the conclusion that it actually is one.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
"The remarkable success of this AI-designed 'super-antigen' trial marks a pivotal leap forward in our ability to deliver broad, lasting viral protection."
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
"If they succeed, they will leap from being a player with no production quantum computer, to being a serious player in the race to make the next generation of fault-tolerant machines."
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
“It is a big leap to go from speeding to racing,” he cautioned the jurors.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Lunging for a door, I leap on board, trip, and tumble into the lap of a seated gentleman.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
