leap

1 of 2

verb

leaped or leapt ˈlēpt How to pronounce leap (audio)
also
ˈlept How to pronounce leap (audio)
; leaping ˈlē-piŋ How to pronounce leap (audio)

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 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
Phrases
by leaps and bounds
: with extraordinary rapidity
a town growing 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
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.
Verb
Netflix added 37 million new subscribers in 2020, while Disney+ leaped to over 70 million subscribers. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025 Yet leaping to an all-electric mandate without the right infrastructure is an economic disaster waiting to happen, and this new electrical rate increase — up to 11.4% per household— is the first of many financial jolts to our personal budgets. Kris Delair, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
Pop-Up Stores Bring Retail Theater To Life Before taking the leap and opening permanent store locations, relatively young brands ill organize pop-ups for a limited amount of time to cement customer interaction. Clara Ludmir, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 George's tenure at TSU is in line with a trend of NFL greats taking on head coaching jobs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), before making the leap to a school that competes at the FBS level. Chantz Martin, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for leap

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of leap was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leap. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

leap

1 of 2 verb
leapt ˈlēpt How to pronounce leap (audio)
also
ˈlept How to pronounce leap (audio)
or leaped; leaping ˈlē-piŋ How to pronounce leap (audio)
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 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

More from Merriam-Webster on leap

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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