leapfrog
Americannoun
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a game in which players take turns in leaping over another player bent over from the waist.
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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)
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to jump over (a person or thing) in or as if in leapfrog.
He leapfrogged the fence to reach the crying child.
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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)
noun
verb
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(intr) to play leapfrog
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(tr) to leap in this way over (something)
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to advance or cause to advance by jumps or stages
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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leapfrogsimple
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leapfrogssimple
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have leapfroggedperfect
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has leapfroggedperfect
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am leapfroggingprogressive
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are leapfroggingprogressive
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is leapfroggingprogressive
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have been leapfroggingperfect progressive
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has been leapfroggingperfect progressive
Past
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leapfroggedsimple
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had leapfroggedperfect
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was leapfroggingprogressive
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were leapfroggingprogressive
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had been leapfroggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leapfrog
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.
"The industry has to innovate and leapfrog, and not just copy and paste China," he said.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
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
“All these HFT firms…are trying to leapfrog each other by becoming faster and faster,” Gerko said in a 2019 discussion with students, a video of which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
But an oversteer snap out of the Spoon Curve double left-hander put paid to his chances, although he was still quick enough to leapfrog ahead of Norris.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 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.
