leap
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump.
to leap over a ditch.
- Synonyms:
- bound
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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)
-
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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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
-
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.
-
by leaps and bounds, very rapidly.
We are progressing by leaps and bounds.
verb
-
(intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another
-
to move or react quickly
-
(tr) to jump over
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to come into prominence rapidly
the 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
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the distance of a leap
-
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
-
an action performed without knowledge of the consequences
-
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
-
leapssimple
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have leapedperfect
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have leaptperfect
-
has leapedperfect
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has leaptperfect
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am leapingprogressive
-
are leapingprogressive
-
is leapingprogressive
-
have been leapingperfect progressive
-
has been leapingperfect progressive
Past
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leapedsimple
-
leaptsimple
-
had leapedperfect
-
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:
Wall Street’s forecasts for Big Tech require a major leap of faith: that the biggest AI hyperscalers can boost revenue much faster than the costs of running their businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In Miami an excess of caution on McLaren's part about the potential of rain allowed Mercedes to pit Antonelli before Norris and leap into the lead.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recognition by Saudi Arabia, a regional power and home to Islam's holiest sites, would mark a "historic leap" forward for peace in the Middle East.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Videos of the response show crews dousing the building with water as flames leap through the roof of the market, sending black plumes of smoke into the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
She makes a little leap into the air.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Part of it has to do with the simultaneous leaps in quality, availability and marketing of certain shelf-stable standards: good tinned fish, squeeze-bottle olive oil, dried beans with their very own fan clubs.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Australia midfielder Aiden O’Neill leaps over Paraguay midfielder Matias Galarza during the first half.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
An Alzheimer’s specialist says science will continue to make great leaps in diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Malik estimates the wafer fab market will grow by leaps and bounds in the next two years, based on Citi’s hyperscaler capital spending model.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
"Look, guys!" says Duke as he leaps over another carton.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Fellow EU leaders, at the Cyprus summit, who are also in Nato, leaped to Spain's defence.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 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
Under second-year coach Dusty May, Michigan leaped in the transfer portal—and opened up the NIL checkbook—to assemble a roster worth roughly $10 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
Cats on the street came to wind figure eights around his ankles; dogs leaped up at him in the park.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Frozen forever in mid-skydive, Action Man looks as though he has leapt from an aircraft rather than risen gently from a field.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
He told the Daily News that he leapt out of his car and broke windows to help two people escape.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Pakistan's inflation rate leapt to 10 percent in the three months after the conflict began, from 5.5 percent in the July-February period, according to a government survey.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
Instead he leapt, and took a chance on New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Then Orion leapt forward, and Danny could see it was only the angle they were sitting at.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Cosmo went from crouching in corners, too afraid to explore, to leaping onto our high couch with the vigor of a puppy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
Once he was done flying across snow and leaping into sandpits, he finally committed to the sport that was in his blood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Sophie Ecclestone took a leaping catch to see off Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt and break an opening stand of 43, and took a second tough chance later to dismiss Sune Luus.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The lit lantern swung in her hand, sending shadows leaping across the kennel walls.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
