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
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
The fluid movement of a ballerina leaping across the stage requires the cerebellum to rapidly process information from all senses while tracking the changing positions of limbs, maintaining balance, and mapping the space through which the body is moving.
—R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024
On Tuesday afternoon, after the joint statement was made, shares of Krispy Kreme leapt by 29%, whilst McDonald's share prices remained relatively unchanged.
—Fiona Simpson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Container ships slowly increased in size for decades after that, before suddenly leaping significantly in size over the past 20 years, forcing ports and canals to adapt, often at the cost of billions of dollars.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
Just a few days before our interview, on March 1, Dell Technologies’ share price leaped 38%, hitting an all-time high above $131 after the company reported earnings that beat analyst expectations.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Towns – a six-foot-nine small forward – began his college career with Harvard in 2016, averaging 12.3 points per game, before his scoring leapt to 16 points per game while shooting 44% from three-point range as a sophomore the following season.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
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
The historic transformation of the identity of Miwok Middle School from Sutter Middle School in East Sacramento took a leap forward over spring break with the unveiling of a 100-foot-wide mural on the outside of the school’s gym on Saturday.
—Lezlie Sterling, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
Prior to retiring from her career in the dental field, Susan says her husband used his experience working in RV tech to take the leap into self-employment five years ago, renting out RVs in western Colorado for work.
—Matt Kirouac, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
Unlike traditional technology and previous tools that excel at analyzing data, generative AI takes the next leap.
—Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Having this kind of power in the bundled plug-ins is a big leap.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
The German outfit’s latest feel like an evolutionary leap forward, finally delivering the warm and precise sound the brand is known for in a pair of earbuds.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Despite that big leap, however, Gen Z is still the unhappiest generation in the workplace.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
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
The fluid movement of a ballerina leaping across the stage requires the cerebellum to rapidly process information from all senses while tracking the changing positions of limbs, maintaining balance, and mapping the space through which the body is moving.
—R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024
On Tuesday afternoon, after the joint statement was made, shares of Krispy Kreme leapt by 29%, whilst McDonald's share prices remained relatively unchanged.
—Fiona Simpson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Container ships slowly increased in size for decades after that, before suddenly leaping significantly in size over the past 20 years, forcing ports and canals to adapt, often at the cost of billions of dollars.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
Just a few days before our interview, on March 1, Dell Technologies’ share price leaped 38%, hitting an all-time high above $131 after the company reported earnings that beat analyst expectations.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Towns – a six-foot-nine small forward – began his college career with Harvard in 2016, averaging 12.3 points per game, before his scoring leapt to 16 points per game while shooting 44% from three-point range as a sophomore the following season.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
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
The historic transformation of the identity of Miwok Middle School from Sutter Middle School in East Sacramento took a leap forward over spring break with the unveiling of a 100-foot-wide mural on the outside of the school’s gym on Saturday.
—Lezlie Sterling, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
Prior to retiring from her career in the dental field, Susan says her husband used his experience working in RV tech to take the leap into self-employment five years ago, renting out RVs in western Colorado for work.
—Matt Kirouac, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
Unlike traditional technology and previous tools that excel at analyzing data, generative AI takes the next leap.
—Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Having this kind of power in the bundled plug-ins is a big leap.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
The German outfit’s latest feel like an evolutionary leap forward, finally delivering the warm and precise sound the brand is known for in a pair of earbuds.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Despite that big leap, however, Gen Z is still the unhappiest generation in the workplace.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Mar. 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 19 Apr. 2024.
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