leap

1. 1.

   move forward by leaps and bounds

   “The horse bounded across the meadow”

   “The child leapt across the puddle”

   “Can you jump over the fence?”

   Synonymsjumpboundspring

   Broadermove

   Narrowerpronkbounceburstcapriolegalumphski jumpsaltatevaultleapfrogcurvet
2. 2.

   pass abruptly from one state or topic to another

   “leap into fame”

   “jump to a conclusion”

   “jump from one thing to another”

   Synonymsjump

   Broaderswitch
3. 3.

   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”

   Synonymsjumpjump off

   Broadermove
4. 4.

   cause to jump or leap

   “the trainer jumped the tiger through the hoop”

   Synonymsjump

Other forms of leap

plural

leaps·

past tense or participle

leapt

present participle

leaping·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about leap

What does leap mean?

leap means "a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards". That is the primary sense; the word has 8 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in leap?

leap has 1 syllable: leap. In IPA it is /ˈlip/.

What is another word for leap?

Close synonyms include leaping, spring, saltation, bound, bounce. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is leap a common word?

leap is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.