leap
Americanverb (used without object)
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leaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaped,
past participle, past
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leapt,
past participle, past
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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.
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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
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leaps
plural
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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
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leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown.
The experiment was a leap in the dark.
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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
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(intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another
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to move or react quickly
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(tr) to jump over
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to come into prominence rapidly
the thought leapt into his mind
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(tr) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier
noun
-
the act of jumping
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a spot from which a leap was or may be made
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the distance of a leap
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an abrupt change or increase
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Also called (US and Canadian): skip. music a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part
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an action performed without knowledge of the consequences
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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
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leapsimple
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leapssimple
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have leapedperfect
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have leaptperfect
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has leapedperfect
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has leaptperfect
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am leapingprogressive
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are leapingprogressive
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is leapingprogressive
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have been leapingperfect progressive
-
has been leapingperfect progressive
Past
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leapedsimple
-
leaptsimple
-
had leapedperfect
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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
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
The 32-year-old only returned from a devastating Achilles rupture on her take off leg last year but has quickly returned to career-best form and finished with a 6.78m leap.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The technological leap AI promises “can result in investors pulling forward the value of future growth and overcoming macro headwinds.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Despite those strides, the possibility of a frontier lab taking the giant leap it would require to solve a Millennium Prize Problem seemed improbable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
What makes the latter leap more treacherous is a rock ledge that juts out about 10 to 15 feet from the cliffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“Interesting if it’s true, but that’s a pretty big leap to take just based on their names.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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
And just like that first-season turnaround in a pub dart game, where Ted shows up Rebecca’s vituperative ex, Rupert, good old Coach Lasso leaps in to caramelize Alice’s insult into golden, heartwarming sunshine.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
The cliff divers, drawn to the thrills of the illicit jumps amplified by social media, reveled in dozens of leaps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
A frozen egg is still several biological leaps away from a baby.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026
Are there big singing leaps and lots of difficult runs or none?
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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
She leaped 42-8 3/4 in the triple jump, comfortably ahead of Los Altos senior Daniela Hughes, who finished at 41-1 before sharing the podium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
The cost of U.S. exports, meanwhile, leaped by 1.6% in March.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026
The blue-haired singer leaped onto the stage — wearing a short poofy dress and tall boots — accompanied by a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist with a lot of flashing lights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
The words leaped out of his mouth before he had time to turn them over.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
A missive from King Charles about the couple’s royal status has been leapt on by the British media as a sign of trouble ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Shares leapt nearly five percent in after-hours trading on Wall Street.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Few have gone as far as British rock group Suede, whose frontman Brett Anderson leapt over a barricade during a 2023 performance in Singapore to grab at fans' phones.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The CAC 40 added 0.5% in Paris, where Kering leapt 11% after earnings, helping the broader luxury sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
I leapt from my desk and started to shove random objects into their appropriate homes, hoping Mom would appreciate the effort.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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
Wide receiver Quentin Johnston limped to the sideline after attempting a leaping catch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Chinchar wondered as he watched a 6ft 3in guy leaping in the air to make a one-handed catch.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The vehicle, with the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag affixed to its top, then smashes through the tyre-and-barricade wall, leaping into the air and speeding on.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Of leaping from a crashing plane, holding hands.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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.
