leap

1 of 2

verb

leaped or leapt ˈlēpt How to pronounce leap (audio)
also
ˈlept How to pronounce leap (audio)
; leaping ˈlē-piŋ How to pronounce leap (audio)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: to pass over by leaping
leaped the wall
leaper noun

leap

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an act of leaping : spring, bound
b(1)
: a place leaped over or from
(2)
: the distance covered by a leap
2
a
: a sudden passage or transition
a great leap forward
b
: a choice made in an area of ultimate concern
a leap of faith
Phrases
by leaps and bounds
: with extraordinary rapidity
a town growing by leaps and bounds

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
Verb
There are signs that a lurch to the right is brewing in many European nations, just as Donald Trump leaps toward the Republican nomination in the US election in November. Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 And in the corner: a wooden staircase grants wrestlers the opportunity to leap onto their opponent. Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 Young horses growing, maturing, learning — this is the time for their jumps and leaps in development and into the Derby conversation. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Qantas wants Americans to leap to Australia with its first-ever 24-hour Leap Day sale. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024 In private, Mayorkas—who is short, fit, and bald, with bushy eyebrows and a cadet’s ramrod posture—is ironic, sharp-witted, and charismatic, a raconteur who leaps out of his seat to exaggerate a detail or deliver a punch line. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 Well, the dog leaped over a tall fence, which seems to be perhaps contradictory to being lazy. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Each storyteller is identified by a single signifier—Eurovision, the Lady with the Rings—and the stories that the speakers unwind (in a way properly reminiscent of the Decameron itself) leap wildly off topic, with the morals of their tales and the pandemic itself almost invisible. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Taking the stage in a classic Ellen look — a moto jacket, jeans and sneakers — DeGeneres walked out to a huge round of applause, with some audience members even leaping from their seats. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024
Noun
That was up from 13 percent in January 2023, and a big leap from the mere 4 percent that charged customers in January 2019. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Before this leap, acting and audiobook narration were harder to outsource. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 In a leap of faith, Curry resigned from her job to start a non-profit. Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Colleagues, family and even Felix herself had reservations about her career leap. Terry Tang, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 One small step for Texas, a huge leap for the pickle community. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 Orange County loves love and wants couples who are looking to take the matrimonial leap to stop by the courthouse Thursday — leap day, that special date that only arrives once every four years. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Hollywood places a naturally high premium on narrative coherence, whereas Herbert’s text—with its abstruse tangle of names and concepts, its intricate layering of conscious and subconscious perspectives—demands otherworldly leaps of imagination. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2024 Processing the floor quicker will be a necessity for Miller to take that next-level leap. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English lepen, from Old English hlēapan; akin to Old High German hlouffan to run

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of leap was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near leap

Cite this Entry

“Leap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leap. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

leap

1 of 2 verb
leapt ˈlēpt How to pronounce leap (audio)
also
ˈlept How to pronounce leap (audio)
or leaped; leaping ˈlē-piŋ How to pronounce leap (audio)
1
: to spring or cause to spring free from or as if from the ground : jump
leap over a fence
2
a
: to pass suddenly from one state or topic to another
b
: to act hastily
I'd leap at the chance
leaper noun

leap

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an act of leaping : spring, bound
b
: a place leaped over or from
c
: the distance covered by a leap
2
: a sudden change of state

More from Merriam-Webster on leap

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