leapfrog

1 of 2

noun

leap·​frog ˈlēp-ˌfrȯg How to pronounce leapfrog (audio)
-ˌfräg
: a game in which one player bends down and is vaulted over by another player

leapfrog

2 of 2

verb

leapfrogged; leapfrogging

intransitive verb

: to leap or progress in or as if in leapfrog

transitive verb

1
: to go ahead of (each other) in turn
specifically : to advance (two military units) by keeping one unit in action while moving the other unit past it to a position farther in front
2
: to evade by or as if by a bypass

Examples of leapfrog in a Sentence

Verb Skipping his last two years of high school, he leapfrogged his classmates and went to college. This year's technologies are leapfrogging last year's designs.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
His actors get hung out to dry, convincing neither in that steamy mode nor in their escalating multiple-personality acts, as the evil spirit plays leapfrog between different bodies. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023 Gonna be playing leapfrog with the team below for the next two months. Gabe Lacques, The Enquirer, 31 July 2023 Drugmakers play a game of leapfrog, trying to get in front of the evolutionary maneuvers that bacteria use to protect themselves from drugs. Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 19 May 2021 Monument Realty played leapfrog — again. Dallas News, 9 Nov. 2022 Some countries are highly digitized and made the leapfrog of digital transformation, like Sweden, Estonia, or Lithuania. Uri Levine, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023 With this network, India has shown on a previously unseen scale how rapid technological innovation can have a leapfrog effect for developing nations, spurring economic growth even as physical infrastructure lags. Hari Kumar, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023 Gene flow predicated on linguistic affiliation at such a remove seems implausible, so the most parsimonious explanation is that the Munda languages arrived in India from Southeast Asia as part of a leapfrog folk wandering. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2010 This to me indicates some sort of leapfrog dynamic. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2010
Verb
As additionally the heaviest and most unabashedly ambitious band in the scene, Soundgarden leapfrogged quickly from Sub Pop to a major label in the late ‘80s. Al Shipley, SPIN, 9 Mar. 2024 Now Garvey has leapfrogged her in the populous county, grabbing 34% support among likely voters. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 With Philadelphia losing in Boston, Miami leapfrogged the 76ers in the standings. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Delivery drones, with their small form factors, zip through the air, leapfrogging infrastructure delivering goods including time sensitive medical supplies efficiently, while sidewalk robots deliver food and other products. Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The achievement comes just over a week after Nvidia became the third most valuable U.S. company, leapfrogging the venerable Google. Chris Morris, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 Simone Inzaghi’s side leapfrogged a point above second-place Juventus, which was held to a 1-1 draw at home to Empoli on Saturday. Daniella Matar, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024 San Diego State, by turning this game on its head, moved to 19-6 and, at 8-4, leapfrogged Colorado State in the conference. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024 When new versions are downloaded, suppliers or manufacturers patch vulnerabilities or create greater protections that either match or leapfrog the hackers. Steve Tengler, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leapfrog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1872, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of leapfrog was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near leapfrog

Cite this Entry

“Leapfrog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leapfrog. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

leapfrog

noun
leap·​frog
ˈlēp-ˌfrȯg,
-ˌfräg
: a game in which the first player bends down and another leaps over

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