as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
we had trouble following the lecturer's leaping look at archaeological discoveries around the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jumping
to propel oneself upward or forward into the air
the outfielder leaped into the air to catch the ball before it went over the fence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of leaping
Pete Sweeney
june 10, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Richie Palacios hit a comebacker that could have been a 1-2-3 double play but the ball bounced off the glove of a leaping Hill, over Caballero and into center for a two-run single.
—ABC News, 22 May 2026
Murakami broke out of his homerless stretch in the third, lofting a long, high fly that was just out of the reach of a leaping Crow-Armstrong in center field for his 16th home run of the year.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
The Rams skipped across the country as a historic 10½-point favorite — biggest postseason spread in modern history — yet trudged home requiring a last-second touchdown pass from the unsinkable Matthew Stafford to a leaping Colby Parkinson.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Two plays later, Corona del Mar linebacker Cash Pearsall made a leaping interception near midfield.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
Bryce Teodosio’s long fly ball landed to the back side of a leaping Outman, going for a leadoff triple in the bottom of the eighth inning.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
Mann’s third feature, this is where his filmmaking took on a true supercharge, leaping ahead in style and intensity.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Continuing with the passing offense, wide receiver Jalen Royals made a leaping touchdown catch from Patrick Mahomes in red-zone 7-on-7, just inside the back left pylon.
—Pete Sweeney
june 11, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
Reynolds made the leaping catch in the second inning of Wednesday's Pirates-Dodgers game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Masked suspects were caught on surveillance cameras leaping over display cases at The Card Lab in Brentwood on Saturday night and stealing $15,000 worth of Pokémon cards in under 40 seconds, police said.
—ABC News, 9 June 2026
One of which was a leaping catch from Smith during 11-on-11 drills near the sideline.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026
The hosts threatened again in the sixth with a pair of walks, but Nagashima made a leaping catch at the fence in center field on a deep drive by Perry for the second out of the inning and Banuelos fanned the next batter.
—Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
He and Oswald Peraza were each robbed of homers by leaping Rockies outfielders.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Adjective
Within three plays in 11-on-11, speedy fifth-round rookie receiver Cyrus Allen reeled in a deep pass from Fields down the left sideline, then scored a leaping touchdown in the red zone on a sprint-out to the left side of the end zone.
—Pete Sweeney
june 10, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Richie Palacios hit a comebacker that could have been a 1-2-3 double play but the ball bounced off the glove of a leaping Hill, over Caballero and into center for a two-run single.
—ABC News, 22 May 2026
Murakami broke out of his homerless stretch in the third, lofting a long, high fly that was just out of the reach of a leaping Crow-Armstrong in center field for his 16th home run of the year.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
The Rams skipped across the country as a historic 10½-point favorite — biggest postseason spread in modern history — yet trudged home requiring a last-second touchdown pass from the unsinkable Matthew Stafford to a leaping Colby Parkinson.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Two plays later, Corona del Mar linebacker Cash Pearsall made a leaping interception near midfield.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
Bryce Teodosio’s long fly ball landed to the back side of a leaping Outman, going for a leadoff triple in the bottom of the eighth inning.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Khoukhi, a 35-year-old who has been in the Qatari national team program since 2013, scored the historic goal by drilling the header while leaping over a Swiss defender.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
Mann’s third feature, this is where his filmmaking took on a true supercharge, leaping ahead in style and intensity.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Continuing with the passing offense, wide receiver Jalen Royals made a leaping touchdown catch from Patrick Mahomes in red-zone 7-on-7, just inside the back left pylon.
—Pete Sweeney
june 11, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
Reynolds made the leaping catch in the second inning of Wednesday's Pirates-Dodgers game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Masked suspects were caught on surveillance cameras leaping over display cases at The Card Lab in Brentwood on Saturday night and stealing $15,000 worth of Pokémon cards in under 40 seconds, police said.
—ABC News, 9 June 2026
One of which was a leaping catch from Smith during 11-on-11 drills near the sideline.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026
The hosts threatened again in the sixth with a pair of walks, but Nagashima made a leaping catch at the fence in center field on a deep drive by Perry for the second out of the inning and Banuelos fanned the next batter.
—Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
He and Oswald Peraza were each robbed of homers by leaping Rockies outfielders.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaping
Adjective
-
Spinella shucks off sentimentality, always showing us Con’s offhand humor and sometimes nervous, defensive rambling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
Carnivores shouldn’t miss out on Peter upstairs—a rambling dining venue perched on the 24th floor, high above the rooms, that looks like a glitzy Vegas club complete with purple accents and ethereal, Avatar-esque light sculptures.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he’s gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that’s hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
Aamer Madhani,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he's gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that's hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Their newest roams freer musically, with an unburdened wandering feel.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
MacFarland did not have a wandering eye, and was not looking to leave.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
While the Qatari national team practiced at nearby PayPal Park Friday morning, Switzerland trained in San Diego early in the day before hopping on a plane and making the short flight to San Jose.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
-
Hirano puts this premature end to the rover's mission as being down to either something becoming damaged on LEV-1 by its hopping motion, or by LEV-1's battery depletion, either way preventing data from being relayed back to Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaping. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
