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leap

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To pass over by a leap or jump.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

leep
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈlip

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To pass over by a leap or jump.

  2. Jump down from an elevated point

  3. intransitive

    To jump.

noun

  1. The act of leaping or jumping.

  2. figuratively

    A significant move forward.

  3. A small cataract over which fish attempt to jump; a salmon ladder.

  4. A trap or snare for fish, made from twigs; a weely.

  5. Copulation with, or coverture of, a female beast.

  6. figuratively

    A large step in reasoning, often one that is not justified by the facts.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

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More ways to use leap

  • “A successful leap from college to the major leagues.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

leap yearquantum leapgreat leapleap forwardgiant leapheart leapflying leap

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • spring

    To leap over.

  • jump

    To pass by means of a spring or leap.

  • bound

    To leap, move by jumping.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • leapingnounInflected form

    A light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • leap secondnounCompound term

    A second (as measured by an atomic clock) added to or subtracted from Greenwich Mean Time in order to compensate for slowing in the Earth's rotation.

  • leap yearnounCompound term

    A calendar year with an extra day added in February.

  • leap outverbCompound term

    Be highly noticeable.

  • leap daynounCompound term

    The name of the day that is added during a leap year.

  • quantum leapnounCompound term

    A sudden large increase or advance.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • leapfrognounRelated term

    Advancing as if in the child's game, by leaping over obstacles or competitors.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

verb

Sense: to pass over by a leap or jump

bound

noun

Sense: leaping or jumping

jumpspringboundbounceInformal

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.