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Synonyms

leapfrog

American  
[leep-frog, -frawg] / ˈlipˌfrɒg, -ˌfrɔg /

noun

  1. a game in which players take turns in leaping over another player bent over from the waist.

  2. an advance from one place, position, or situation to another without progressing through all or any of the places or stages in between.

    a leapfrog from bank teller to vice president in one short year.

verb (used with object)

leapfrogged, leapfrogging

  1. to jump over (a person or thing) in or as if in leapfrog.

    He leapfrogged the fence to reach the crying child.

  2. to move or cause to move as if in leapfrog.

    Manufacturers are leapfrogging prices because the cost of raw materials has doubled.

verb (used without object)

leapfrogged, leapfrogging

  1. to move or advance in or as if in leapfrog.

    Our tour leapfrogged through six cities in four days.
leapfrog British  
/ ˈliːpˌfrɒɡ /

noun

  1. a children's game in which each player in turn leaps over the others' bent backs, leaning on them with the hands and spreading the legs wide

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

    1. (intr) to play leapfrog

    2. (tr) to leap in this way over (something)

  2. to advance or cause to advance by jumps or stages

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of leapfrog

First recorded in 1590–1600; leap + frog 1

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.

I like it when incumbents are operating on outdated systems because that creates a substantial opportunity to leapfrog competitors with modern integrated technology.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

Victory would have lifted West Ham five points clear of the bottom three, but instead they have left the door ajar for Tottenham to leapfrog them with victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Jeff Bezos is trying to leapfrog into the artificial intelligence race with a $100-billion fund to acquire manufacturers and bring more AI superpowers to factory floors.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

AI-native software startups, unburdened by the baggage of years of design decisions, can leapfrog incumbents with new ways of doing things.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

Another leapfrog jump and he sat atop the nine-foot log.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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.