leap

American  

[leep] / lip /

verb (used without object)

• leaps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leaped,
  past participle,  past
• leapt,
  past participle,  past
• leaping
  present participle

1. to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump.

   to leap over a ditch.

   Synonyms:

   bound

2. to move or act quickly or suddenly.

   to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.

3. to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump.

   to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.

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verb (used with object)

• leaps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leaped,
  past participle,  past
• leapt,
  past participle,  past
• leaping
  present participle

1. to jump over.

   to leap a fence.

2. to pass over as if by a jump.

3. to cause to leap.

   to leap a horse.

noun

• leaps
  plural

1. a spring, jump, or bound; a light, springing movement.

2. the distance covered in a leap; distance jumped.

3. a place leaped or to be leaped over or from.

4. a sudden or abrupt transition.

   a successful leap from piano class to concert hall.

5. a sudden and decisive increase.

   a leap in the company's profits.

idioms

1. leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown.

   The experiment was a leap in the dark.

2. leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.

3. by leaps and bounds, very rapidly.

   We are progressing by leaps and bounds.

leap British  

/ liːp /

verb

1. (intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another

2. to move or react quickly

3. (tr) to jump over

4. to come into prominence rapidly

   the thought leapt into his mind

5. (tr) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier

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noun

1. the act of jumping

2. a spot from which a leap was or may be made

3. the distance of a leap

4. an abrupt change or increase

5. Also called (US and Canadian): skip. music a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part

6. an action performed without knowledge of the consequences

7. with unexpectedly rapid progress

leap More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing leap

• by leaps and bounds
• jump
• look before you leap
• quantum leap

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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

• leaper
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• leaps
  plural

Participles

• leaping
  present
• leaped
  past
• leapt
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• leap
  simple
• leaps
  simple
• have leaped
  perfect
• have leapt
  perfect
• has leaped
  perfect
• has leapt
  perfect
• am leaping
  progressive
• are leaping
  progressive
• is leaping
  progressive
• have been leaping
  perfect progressive
• has been leaping
  perfect progressive

Past

• leaped
  simple
• leapt
  simple
• had leaped
  perfect
• had leapt
  perfect
• was leaping
  progressive
• were leaping
  progressive
• had been leaping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will leap
  simple
• will have leaped
  perfect
• will have leapt
  perfect
• will be leaping
  progressive
• will have been leaping
  perfect progressive

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leap leaps leaped leapt leaping

Analysts expect a 90% leap for Nvidia, according to FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

The person reported seeing tiny humans leap from a spoon into the bowl, where they began swimming.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

“It was a visionary, creative leap that they were taking to spend so much time and money in this project.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

While high mortgage rates are keeping many from would-be home buyers from taking the leap, real-estate investors, including people buying second homes, are active.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

“Isn’t this where souls leap into the afterlife?”

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

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

When he pops “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” under the spotlight, a volunteer cowers in the chair while Garry leaps over it with impressive dexterity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The place where they land will then become part of the web and serve as a point of departure for further leaps.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

U.S. stocks leaped after Wednesday’s punishing session, with the Nasdaq composite gaining about 2% as chip stocks rebound.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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

Fellow EU leaders, at the Cyprus summit, who are also in Nato, leaped to Spain's defence.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

Shortly after dawn, they leaped from the trees and started chasing a poor calf through the pasture.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Even Pro and Pro Max would have been down if not for China, Apple’s second largest market, where they leapt 29%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

But the ending hints at the possibility that the spirit of Jason may have leapt into the youngster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

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

Wolf leapt to defend his pack-brother, but she pushed him away, hooked her forepaws under Tall Tailless’s shoulders, and hauled him out of the Wet.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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

But Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubón made a leaping catch, holding into the ball as he slammed into the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

While Guardiola was often leaping and screaming around his technical area during games, Maresca looks to be the opposite as he tends to stand motionless by the pitch with his arms folded.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Federer may no longer have the most major tournament victories—both Novak Djokovic and Nadal put his 20 in the rear view for men’s singles—but his leaping, balletic style remains the sport’s aesthetic ideal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Of leaping from a crashing plane, holding hands.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

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