leap

1 of 2

verb

ˈlēp 

leaped or leapt ˈlēpt 

also

ˈlept  ; leaping ˈlē-piŋ 

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

ˈlē-pər 

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

see also:

by leaps and bounds

Synonyms of leap

Verb

• jump
• hop

Noun

• jump
• hop

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

Lundgren got out from the driver’s side of the vehicle, stumbled across the opposing lane of traffic, and leaped over the side of the bridge into Table Rock Lake below, the sheriff said. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Models could begin to recursively self-improve and leap further ahead. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 22 July 2026

Noun

Purcell said retailers have large IT budgets, but much of that spending is to keep core systems running not to create technological leaps or experimentation and the true innovation budget is small. — Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

With each successive leap, Stuart grows closer to the hero he’s meant to be. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

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

Phrases Containing leap

• come/spring/leap to mind
• jump/leap off the page
• leap at
• leap into action
• leap out at
• leap second
• leap to one's feet
• leap to someone's defense
• leap year
• quantum leap
• take a flying leap

Rhymes for leap

• beep
• cheap
• creep
• deep
• heap
• jeep
• keep
• peep
• reap
• seep
• sheep
• sleep

Kids Definition

leap

1 of 2 verb

ˈlēp 

leapt ˈlēpt 

also

ˈlept  or leaped; leaping ˈlē-piŋ 

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

ˈlē-pər 

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