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• long jump
  long jump

  noun

  a jump for distance from a running start.
• long-jump
  long-jump

  verb (used without object)

  to execute a long jump.

long jump

¹ American  

noun

Track and Field.

long jumps plural

1. a jump for distance from a running start.

2. a field event featuring competition in the long jump.

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long-jump ² American  

[lawng-juhmp, long-] / ˈlɔŋˌdʒʌmp, ˈlɒŋ- /

verb (used without object)

1. Track and Field. to execute a long jump.

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long jump British  

noun

1. Former Austral, US, and Canadian equivalent: broad jump.  an athletic contest in which competitors try to cover the farthest distance possible with a running jump from a fixed board or mark

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Usage

What is the long jump? The long jump is a track-and-field competition in which athletes attempt to complete the longest forward jump with a running start and a single leap. The long jump is sometimes also known as the broad jump. An attempt in this event (the jump itself) is also called a long jump. A competitor in the long jump is called a long jumper. Standard long jumps take place on a track with a running lane, a jumping area or takeoff board, and a sand pit to land in. The distance of the jump is measured from the edge of the takeoff board to the landing spot. The two main long jump techniques are the tuck (in which the long jumper pulls their knees upward and then extends them at the last second) and the hitch kick (in which the long jumper continues their running motion after they jump in the air and then brings their feet together and extends them in front of them). The long jump is a track-and-field event in the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games) and it is also part of the modern decathlon. The long jump should not be confused with the high jump, which is a track-and-field (and decathlon) event in which athletes attempt to complete the highest jump over a crossbar. Like the long jump, the triple jump also begins with a running start, but (as the name implies) involves three jumping motions instead of the single leap used in the long jump. Example: I’m training for the long jump and the high jump with my track-and-field team.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• long jumping
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• long jumps
  plural

Etymology

Origin of long jump

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Haaland, for example, also grew up cross-country skiing and playing handball while destroying records in what might have been his best sport of all: the long jump.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026

AB’s long jump did not meet her usual standard.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

Return of the Champ: Toby Ojo, West Torrance Sophomore makes his season debut at the Torrance City Champs Meet and captures the varsity long jump crown!

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Rand, whose death aged 86 was announced on Friday, became the first British woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics, thanks to her long jump victory in Tokyo in 1964.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

I jump a few hurdles, run a 50 and a 100—I don’t think I’m much of a sprinter—try to high-jump, and foul out a bunch of times on the long jump.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée