1
: to spring free from or as if from the ground : jump
leap over a fence
a fish leaps out of the water
2
a
: to pass abruptly from one state or topic to another
the difficult leap from college to the workplace
b
: to act precipitately
leaped at the chance
: to pass over by leaping
leaped the wall
Synonyms
Examples of leap in a Sentence
Verb
The cat suddenly leaped into the air.
Fish were leaping out of the water.
He leaped off the bridge.
The boys leaped over the stream.
The horse leaped the stone wall.
When the alarm went off, she leapt out of bed.
Noun
She made a graceful leap into the air.
He ran and took a flying leap over the stream.
He won the high jump with a leap of six feet.
the leap from childhood to adulthood
She has shown great leaps in ability.
Technology has taken a great leap forward.
It required a leap of the imagination to picture how the project would look when it was completed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
Today’s updates leap forward another generation while keeping tokens from the past.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2024
At game farms and off-site locations, trainers can get the wolves to howl or a cougar to leap on command with a scrap of raw meat.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The first and only House member to leap directly to the presidency was James Garfield more than 143 years ago.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Once the watch is moved again, the motion detector at 4:30 causes the watch to leap back to the accurate time, moving the shortest distance—clockwise or counter—to minimize battery expenditure.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Her character, Lee, is a skilled photojournalist, and if your mind doesn’t automatically leap to Lee Miller, celebrated for her stunning images of the Second World War, rest assured that Garland’s script is eager to connect the dots.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
The agency’s rates edged up again in 2019 and 2020, then leaped to almost 33 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.
—Robin Fields, ProPublica, 5 Apr. 2024
The project's premise leaps past the stereotypes of low-income women, particularly women of color, Stilp said.
—Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
But, again, in the final showdown with him and his son, having Coyle leap desperately from his deathbed for their confrontation feels more gestural than a moment of genuinely earned dramatic truth.
—David Benedict, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
And Boeing’s primacy in the industry was built on revolutionary leaps, such as the 707 and 747.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
At Tuesday’s presentation, exhibitors pleaded with distributors to take a leap of faith and commit to releasing movies in cinemas year-round — not just during times that have historically seen heavier foot traffic.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
There will be no leap to season three for NBC‘s Quantum Leap.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Hanuman crosses the sea between India and Lanka, Ravana’s island fortress, in a single leap.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
This will allow Cinecittà to take a leap forward and lock in more international partnerships.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Look at life as a journey and get ready to take a big leap.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
People on board a tour boat near New Quay, a tiny fishing village, spotted a bottlenose dolphin leaping high above the horizon.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
Today’s updates leap forward another generation while keeping tokens from the past.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2024
At game farms and off-site locations, trainers can get the wolves to howl or a cougar to leap on command with a scrap of raw meat.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The first and only House member to leap directly to the presidency was James Garfield more than 143 years ago.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Once the watch is moved again, the motion detector at 4:30 causes the watch to leap back to the accurate time, moving the shortest distance—clockwise or counter—to minimize battery expenditure.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Her character, Lee, is a skilled photojournalist, and if your mind doesn’t automatically leap to Lee Miller, celebrated for her stunning images of the Second World War, rest assured that Garland’s script is eager to connect the dots.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
The agency’s rates edged up again in 2019 and 2020, then leaped to almost 33 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.
—Robin Fields, ProPublica, 5 Apr. 2024
The project's premise leaps past the stereotypes of low-income women, particularly women of color, Stilp said.
—Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
Growing up, Carole took Carrie to talent shows, even making her sparkly costumes, and was the one who encouraged her daughter to take the leap to try out for American Idol.
—Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
But, again, in the final showdown with him and his son, having Coyle leap desperately from his deathbed for their confrontation feels more gestural than a moment of genuinely earned dramatic truth.
—David Benedict, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
And Boeing’s primacy in the industry was built on revolutionary leaps, such as the 707 and 747.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
At Tuesday’s presentation, exhibitors pleaded with distributors to take a leap of faith and commit to releasing movies in cinemas year-round — not just during times that have historically seen heavier foot traffic.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
There will be no leap to season three for NBC‘s Quantum Leap.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Hanuman crosses the sea between India and Lanka, Ravana’s island fortress, in a single leap.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
This will allow Cinecittà to take a leap forward and lock in more international partnerships.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Look at life as a journey and get ready to take a big leap.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leap
Cite this Entry
“Leap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leap. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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