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
1
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
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
Kennedy French, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
At the last moment, forward Trey Simpson left his man to leap high and deflect Newell’s dunk attempt — a most vivid picture of having his teammates’ back.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
Incat’s chairman Robert Clifford framed the move as not an incremental step forward, but an intentional leap toward what large commercial vessels could be in the future.
—New Atlas, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leap
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Verb
Wilde, reflecting on her experience following her Sundance directorial debut, warned against the pressure placed on emerging filmmakers — especially women — to immediately leap into larger studio systems.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
At the last moment, forward Trey Simpson left his man to leap high and deflect Newell’s dunk attempt — a most vivid picture of having his teammates’ back.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Started in 2016 by Ian Yang, a software engineer who made the leap into lighting, the firm now bridges the design world and the Bay Area’s tech culture.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
Incat’s chairman Robert Clifford framed the move as not an incremental step forward, but an intentional leap toward what large commercial vessels could be in the future.
—New Atlas, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leap
Cite this Entry
“Leap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leap. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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