leap

[ leep ]

/ lip /

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See synonyms for: leap / leaped / leaping / leapt on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), leaped or leapt

[lept, leept], /lɛpt, lipt/, 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

[lept, leept], /lɛpt, lipt/, 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR leap

1 bound.

See synonyms for leap on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about leap

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

First recorded before 900; Middle English lepen, Old English hlēapan “to leap, run”; cognate with German laufen, Old Norse hlaupa, Gothic hlaupan

synonym study for leap

1. See jump.

OTHER WORDS FROM leap

leaper, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use leap in a sentence

It’s not a huge leap to see these creatures reconceived by a Western developer.
‘Demon’s Souls’ review: The ideal PlayStation 5 launch game|Gene Park|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Before taking the leap, I’d recommend making a list of all the apps you use regularly and checking on whether they have optimized yet or when they plan to do so.
Apple’s M1 chip makes the new MacBook Air shockingly good|Stan Horaczek|November 18, 2020|Popular-Science
So again, this idea that just one very large neural network is going to achieve general intelligence is again, a bit of a leap of faith because maybe general intelligence will require some breakthrough in how dedicated structures communicate.
Podcast: Can you teach a machine common sense?|Anthony Green|November 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The MacBook Air battery has made a leap from 11 hours to 15 hours, measured though surfing the Web over WiFi.
MacBooks get new brains with their first Apple-designed processors|Geoffrey Fowler, Heather Kelly|November 10, 2020|Washington Post

Despite the companies’ attempts to hype the next generation as a huge leap, there’s simply no evidence of that at launch and probably won’t be for many months.
Review: Sony’s PlayStation 5 is here, but next-generation gaming is still on its way|Devin Coldewey|November 6, 2020|TechCrunch
The tuna, although a wonderful leaper, hardly ever rises from the water after it is fast to the line.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
It is not a leaper, like the trout, but takes the fly from the surface with merely an exposure of a portion of its head.
Fishing With The Fly|Charles F. Orvis and Others
The rider rose to view for a moment, like a leaper going over a fence sideways.
The Great Cattle Trail|Edward S. Ellis
This needs practice, however, for if the leaper loses his balance and falls backward his jump does not count.
Three Hundred Things a Bright Boy Can Do|Anonymous
It was said that he had gone to meet the other travellers and guide them to their cousin, Leaper the Locust.
The Tale of Kiddie Katydid|Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for leap

leap

/ (liːp) /

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 forms of leap

leaper, 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with leap

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.

leap

OTHER WORDS FOR leap

Idioms about leap

Origin of leap

synonym study for leap

OTHER WORDS FROM leap

Words related to leap

How to use leap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for leap

Derived forms of leap

Word Origin for leap

Other Idioms and Phrases with leap