leap
Americanverb (used without object)
-
leaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaped,
past participle, past
-
leapt,
past participle, past
-
leaping
present participle
-
to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump.
to leap over a ditch.
- Synonyms:
- bound
-
to move or act quickly or suddenly.
to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
-
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)
-
leaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaped,
past participle, past
-
leapt,
past participle, past
-
leaping
present participle
-
to jump over.
to leap a fence.
-
to pass over as if by a jump.
-
to cause to leap.
to leap a horse.
noun
-
leaps
plural
-
a spring, jump, or bound; a light, springing movement.
-
the distance covered in a leap; distance jumped.
-
a place leaped or to be leaped over or from.
-
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
-
leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown.
The experiment was a leap in the dark.
-
leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
-
by leaps and bounds, very rapidly.
We are progressing by leaps and bounds.
verb
-
(intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another
-
to move or react quickly
-
(tr) to jump over
-
to come into prominence rapidly
the thought leapt into his mind
-
(tr) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier
noun
-
the act of jumping
-
a spot from which a leap was or may be made
-
the distance of a leap
-
an abrupt change or increase
-
Also called (US and Canadian): skip. music a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part
-
an action performed without knowledge of the consequences
-
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
leapsimple
-
leapssimple
-
have leapedperfect
-
have leaptperfect
-
has leapedperfect
-
has leaptperfect
-
am leapingprogressive
-
are leapingprogressive
-
is leapingprogressive
-
have been leapingperfect progressive
-
has been leapingperfect progressive
Past
-
leapedsimple
-
leaptsimple
-
had leapedperfect
-
had leaptperfect
-
was leapingprogressive
-
were leapingprogressive
-
had been leapingperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Take a leap of faith and leave Pitt after two seasons without playing, or stay at a program and a school where he felt comfortable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"It is a slog in the middle of a parliament, it's hard being the third party and it's such an enormous leap going from 15 MPs to 72," another party figure present told us.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
From there it was a short leap for the word to represent a pledge or a person’s word of honor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
At the same time, she prefers that you both keep working, while you’re close to making the leap into retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
I leap off the rock into the shadows a new coyote.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
The NFL is all in on promoting flag football, which makes the Rams-sponsored Girls’ Jamboree on Saturday in Carson another opportunity to show off a sport growing by leaps and bounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
He flagged that Meta’s AI models have displayed large leaps in capabilities in just a few months.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
I have always known Karl to be self-deprecating, but this leaps from the page.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
For “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” he leaps and twirls around the stage performing an interpretive dance to “Moon River,” the theme song from the movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Dels!” she calls as she leaps from a picnic table.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Staging da capo arias is always a challenge, and Ms. Griffin often fell into the trap of extremes—Mr. Brownlee and Mr. Costanzo tossed chairs around, leaped acrobatically onto furniture and ripped things up—or stasis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The main PCE price index leaped to a three-year high of 4.1% in the 12 months that ended in May, up from 2.9% in February.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Massey waited several agonizing minutes while the distance was measured, but when the mark flashed on the scoreboard, she leaped in the air and screamed “Let’s go! Three more!”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Redick leaped off the bench to call a timeout with 10:36 left in the second to get things back in order for the Lakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Meanwhile, my mom eyed the cat suspiciously as he leaped up to the windowsill.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Fourth, the price of industrial metals used in the construction of data centers have leapt materially and the Goldman economists calculate this lifted the core inflation number by 5 basis points.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"Go!" shouted Ivan Deforge, and without hesitation his 300-kilo hairy sidekicks Karym and Ural leapt through a ring of fire under the dome of the Great Moscow Circus.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Mortgage rates began September at 6.71%, but have since leapt, reaching 7.4% last week, the highest level in almost three years, according to Freddie Mac.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Onlookers leapt to the teen’s defense, and it took 75 officers to quell the disturbance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Natalie left her line to peek inside, and her heart leapt.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
At its event in Texas, the company showed a Roadster performing a few aerial feats, including leaping over several other Tesla vehicles.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
In between, Smith's leaping catch at second slip after Cummins found Bedingham's edge took the 37-year-old back above Joe Root as the non-wicketkeeper with the most catches in Test history on 223.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Hadley wanted to remind potential jumpers that the act of leaping from the cliffs violates a San Diego municipal code and could result in fines of $100 or more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
He installed himself courtside, the Windows Clippy among the die-hards, leaping from his seat after dunks and wiggling like one of those inflatable tubes at a car wash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Torak turned to see the cub leaping for cover beneath an arch of solid ice.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
