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Exult leaped into English in the 16th century as a verb meaning "to leap for joy." George Chapman used it that way in a translation of Homer's Iliad: "To drive his chariot through the waves. From whirl pits every way the whales exulted under him," he interprets. This use of the verb skipped around in English until the 18th century, when it gracefully exited the everyday lexicon, leaving the verb's other meaning—"to be extremely joyful; to rejoice"—to stay the course. Exult springs from Latin saltare ("to leap"), also the source of saltation, a word for leaping as well as dancing. Another etymological cousin of exult is sally, meaning "to leap out" or "to set out," as in "After the storm passed, the hikers sallied forth."
Examples of exult in a Sentence
Armond White, National Review, 19 Mar. 2025
Close chances and corresponding roars continued, the crowd exulting in a moment long overdue.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025
This one, Washington’s fourth this season, left you feeling agita rather than exulted.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
The real problem, though, was that my college years fell in the middle of a triumphalist era, with the Soviet Union smoldering on the ash heap and America exulting in its victory over history.
—Michael Moynihan, airmail.news, 26 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for exult
Cite this Entry
“Exult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exult. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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