leap

[leep]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR leap ON THESAURUS.COM

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR leap ON THESAURUS.COM

1. bound. See jump.

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

Related Words for leaped

rocket, skip, rise, ascend, bound, bounce, surge, hop, vault, soar, caper, advance, cavort, escalate, spring, mount, lop, hurdle, frisk, arise

Examples from the Web for leaped

Contemporary Examples of leaped

A boy in shorts kicked the game ball into the goal, then leaped in celebration.
Why Americans Should Love the World Cup
Sean Wilsey
June 12, 2014
Once Ranbaxy got FDA approval, it leaped straight into making commercial-size batches without any meaningful dry runs.
Those Generic Drugs May Not Have Been What You Thought They Were
Megan McArdle
May 17, 2013
Top Gun director Tony Scott leaped to his death off a Los Angeles bridge on Sunday.
Director Tony Scott’s Death Seen as Suicide After He Leaped From Bridge
Christine Pelisek
August 20, 2012
Gadell leaped for cover behind a stoop and shot back, emptying his .38-caliber Smith Wesson.
‘Glock’ by Paul Barrett: Interview and Excerpt
The Daily Beast
January 8, 2012
Deng leaped from a California commuter college to the Yale School of Management.
Wendi Murdoch’s Pie Smackdown
Samuel P. Jacobs
July 19, 2011

Historical Examples of leaped

When he leaped to one side to make the shot, Andrew was already among the trees.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
He leaped toward Garson—would have wrenched the pistol from the other's grasp.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
The Judge sprang from the car, leaped the stream, and started toward them.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
He leaped to his feet and seized her savagely by the shoulders.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
All over the camp the porters, startled, leaped to their feet.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for leaped

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 leaped

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 leaped

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.