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
Mary Lebus, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2025
Luke leaped over a balcony to punch him in the face, and the wedding continued.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Denny Alfonso, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
But extending the concept to dissolving the fissile and fertile fuel in the salt certainly represents a leap in lateral thinking relative to nearly every reactor operated so far.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leap
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Verb
Nestled in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez, Swordfish Grill is surrounded by working docks and pristine mangroves, gray pelicans and blue herons, leaping mullet, and frolicking dolphins.
—Mary Lebus, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2025
Luke leaped over a balcony to punch him in the face, and the wedding continued.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Noun
Michael Jordan’s audacious leaps over towering defenders, Kobe Bryant’s cold-blooded poise in the waning seconds of an NBA Finals game — these are the images that linger, the memories that shape the sport.
—Denny Alfonso, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
But extending the concept to dissolving the fissile and fertile fuel in the salt certainly represents a leap in lateral thinking relative to nearly every reactor operated so far.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leap
Cite this Entry
“Leap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leap. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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