leapfrog

1 of 2

noun

leap·​frog ˈlēp-ˌfrȯg 

-ˌfräg

: a game in which one player bends down and is vaulted over by another player

leapfrog

2 of 2

verb

leapfrogged; leapfrogging

intransitive verb

: to leap or progress in or as if in leapfrog

transitive verb

1

: to go ahead of (each other) in turn

specifically : to advance (two military units) by keeping one unit in action while moving the other unit past it to a position farther in front

2

: to evade by or as if by a bypass

Examples of leapfrog in a Sentence

Verb

Skipping his last two years of high school, he leapfrogged his classmates and went to college.

This year's technologies are leapfrogging last year's designs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While that was happening, Altman explored another acquisition that would help OpenAI leapfrog ahead—buying the AI coding startup Windsurf for $3 billion. —Maxwell Zeff, Wired News, 11 Mar. 2026

This marks a leapfrog moment — not just for India’s digital infrastructure, but for secure global communications in the post-encryption era. —Sol Rashidi, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Verb

Jeff Bezos is trying to leapfrog into the artificial intelligence race with a $100-billion fund to acquire manufacturers and bring more AI superpowers to factory floors. —Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026

Lazio’s January signing Kenneth Taylor scored two second-half goals in a 2-0 win at Bologna that enabled the Roman club to leapfrog the hosts into eighth place. —ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1872, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for leapfrog

• agog
• backlog
• bulldog
• bullfrog
• eclogue
• eggnog
• groundhog
• hedgehog
• prolog
• sheepdog
• watchdog
• analog

Kids Definition

leapfrog

noun

leap·​frog

ˈlēp-ˌfrȯg, 

-ˌfräg

: a game in which the first player bends down and another leaps over