leap

[leep]

verb (used without object), leaped or leapt, leap·ing.

to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump: to leap over a ditch.

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), leaped or leapt, leap·ing.

to jump over: to leap a fence.

to pass over as if by a jump.

to cause to leap: to leap a horse.

noun

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

by leaps and bounds, very rapidly: We are progressing by leaps and bounds.

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.

Origin of leap

before 900; Middle English lepen, Old English hlēapan to leap, run; cognate with German laufen, Old Norse hlaupa, Gothic hlaupan

Related formsleap·er, noun

Synonyms for leap

1. bound. See jump.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for by leaps and bounds

leap

verb leaps, leaping, leapt or leaped

(intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another

(intr often foll by at) to move or react quickly

(tr) to jump over

to come into prominence rapidlythe 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

a leap in the dark an action performed without knowledge of the consequences

by leaps and bounds with unexpectedly rapid progress

Derived Formsleaper, noun

Word Origin for leap

Old English hlēapan; related to Gothic hlaupan, German laufen

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

Word Origin and History for by leaps and bounds

leap

c.1200, from Old English hliep, hlyp (West Saxon), *hlep (Mercian, Northumbrian) "a leap, bound, spring, sudden movement; thing to leap from;" common Germanic (cf. Old Frisian hlep, Dutch loop, Old High German hlouf, German lauf); from the root of leap (v.). Leaps has been paired with bounds since at least 1720.

leap

c.1200, from Old English hleapan "to jump, run, leap" (class VII strong verb; past tense hleop, past participle hleapen), from Proto-Germanic *khlaupan (cf. Old Saxon hlopan, Old Norse hlaupa, Old Frisian hlapa, Dutch lopen, Old High German hlouffan, German laufen "to run," Gothic us-hlaupan "to jump up"), of uncertain origin, with no known cognates beyond Germanic. Leap-frog, the children's game, is attested by that name from 1590s; figurative use by 1704.

First loke and aftirward lepe [proverb recorded from mid-15c.]

Related: Leaped; leaping.

Idioms and Phrases with by leaps and bounds

by leaps and bounds

Rapidly, or in fast progress, as in The corn is growing by leaps and bounds, or School enrollment is increasing by leaps and bounds. This term is a redundancy, since leap and bound both mean “spring” or “jump,” but the two words have been paired since Shakespeare's time and are still so used.

leap

In addition to the idioms beginning with leap

leap in the dark
leap of faith

also see:

by leaps and bounds
look before you leap
quantum leap

Also see underjump.