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leap

1 syllable · also leapt

Quick answer

As a verb, leap means jump. As a noun, it means the act of leaping or jumping.

Meanings of leap

23 meanings

To jump.
To pass over by a leap or jump.
“to leap a wall or a ditch”
To cause to leap.
“to leap a horse across a ditch”
Move forward by leaps and bounds
“The horse bounded across the meadow”
“The child leapt across the puddle”
“Can you jump over the fence?”
Similar: jump, bound, spring
Pass abruptly from one state or topic to another
“leap into fame”
“jump to a conclusion”
“jump from one thing to another”
Similar: jump
Jump down from an elevated point
“the parachutist didn't want to jump”
“every year, hundreds of people jump off the Golden Gate bridge”
“the widow leapt into the funeral pyre”
Similar: jump, jump off

Older and rare meanings (2)

The act of leaping or jumping.
“He made a leap across the river.”
The distance traversed by a leap or jump.
A group of leopards.
figurativelyA significant move forward.
figurativelyA large step in reasoning, often one that is not justified by the facts.
“It's quite a leap to claim that those cloud formations are evidence of UFOs.”
miningA fault.
Copulation with, or coverture of, a female beast.
musicA passing from one note to another by an interval, especially by a long one, or by one including several other intermediate intervals.
A salmon ladder.
A trap or snare for fish, made from twigs; a weely.
Half a bushel.
A light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
Similar: leaping, spring, saltation, bound, bounce
An abrupt transition
“a successful leap from college to the major leagues”
Similar: jump, saltation
A sudden and decisive increase
“a jump in attendance”
Similar: jump