leap
leap — verb
1. to use your legs to push your body off the ground and travel through the air, of
to use your legs to push your body off the ground and travel through the air, often to clear a gap or reach a different spot.
The dog leaped over the low fence and ran into the park.
leap + over [obstacle]
Takeshi leaped across the narrow stream to reach the other side.
leap + across [space]
From the top of the wall, Adisa leaped down onto the soft sand below.
The athlete leaped into the pool from the high diving board without a splash.
leap + into + [body of water]
- leap over a fence
- leap across a stream
- leap into the air
- leap from a window
- leap to safety
- land
the end point of a leap — the act of coming back down to the ground
Grammar Patterns
leap + over/into/across/from
Usage Note
Often used with a preposition indicating direction or destination (over, across, into, from, down). The past form can be either leaped (especially American) or leapt (especially British).
Common Mistakes
2. to offer help, support, or defence immediately and eagerly when someone is in tr
to offer help, support, or defence immediately and eagerly when someone is in trouble or needs assistance.
When the old man collapsed on the street, a stranger leaped to his aid.
leap to someone's aid / defence
Soraya leaped to her colleague's defence during the heated meeting.
The firefighter leaped into action the moment the alarm sounded.
leap into action
Zuri leaped to the toddler's rescue when the child wandered toward a busy road.
leap to someone's rescue / aid / defence
- leap to someone's defence
- leap to someone's aid
- leap into action
Grammar Patterns
leap + to + [noun]
Usage Note
Common in fixed phrases: leap to someone's defence, leap to someone's aid, leap into action. The 'leaping' is figurative — the person moves or responds with speed and urgency, not necessarily a physical jump.
Common Mistakes
3. to move suddenly from a low or ordinary position to a much higher one in fame, p
to move suddenly from a low or ordinary position to a much higher one in fame, power, or status — for example, an unknown performer who becomes a star overnight.
The young singer leaped to fame after a video of her performance went viral online.
leap to fame / stardom
Eleni leaped from an assistant's desk to the head of marketing in just three years.
leap from [low role] to [high role]
A small local brand leaped into the international spotlight after winning a major design award.
Cyrus leaped from being a junior writer to editor of the entire magazine section.
leap from [low position] to [high position]
- leap to fame
- leap from obscurity
- leap into the spotlight
- leap to prominence
- leap to stardom
Grammar Patterns
leap + to/from/into + [noun]
Usage Note
Almost always followed by a prepositional phrase naming the target status (to fame, to prominence, from obscurity). The sense is emphatic and suggests a dramatic, newsworthy change rather than gradual progress.
Common Mistakes
4. to become much larger, higher, or more advanced in a very short period of time,
to become much larger, higher, or more advanced in a very short period of time, often used for numbers, prices, or levels of development.
The company's profits leaped by nearly fifty percent in a single quarter.
leap + by + [percentage]
Home prices in the area have leaped to levels most families cannot afford.
leap + to + [new level]
Christopher's reading ability leaped after he started getting extra help at school.
Online orders leaped by over three hundred percent during the holiday season.
leap by [percentage]
- leap by fifty percent
- leap in price
- leap to a new high
- leap in value
- leap in popularity
Grammar Patterns
leap + by/in + [amount/noun]
leap + to + [new level]
Usage Note
Frequently used with statistics (prices, numbers, percentages, rates). Unlike sense 1 (JUMP), this sense is purely figurative — no physical movement is involved.
Common Mistakes
leap at
phrasal verbto accept an opportunity, offer, or invitation with great eagerness and without hesitation.
When the university offered him a full scholarship, he leaped at the chance immediately.
Roya leaped at the opportunity to study marine biology in Australia.
leap out
phrasal verbto be very noticeable or obvious, usually because of being distinct, bright, or surprising.
The spelling mistake leaped out at me from the first page of the report.
In a room full of dark suits, Esme's red dress leaped out and caught everyone's attention.
by leaps and bounds
idiomvery quickly; at a remarkably fast rate of progress or improvement.
Her Mandarin has improved by leaps and bounds since she moved to Taipei.
The city's public transport system has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade.
a leap of faith
idioman act of believing or accepting something without having proof or evidence that it is true or will work.
Starting her own bakery was a leap of faith, but Constanza believed it would succeed.
Investors had to take a leap of faith when they put money into the unproven technology.
leap year
idioma year, happening every four years, that has 366 days instead of 365, with an extra day added on February 29.
Since 2024 is a leap year, February has twenty-nine days instead of twenty-eight.
Birthdays on February 29 are only celebrated in a real way during a leap year.
look before you leap
idioma saying meaning that you should think carefully about possible dangers or problems before doing something.
I know you are excited about the job offer, but look before you leap — check the contract first.
Warning her son to look before you leap, Hoa advised him not to move in with someone he barely knew.
This phrase describes a sudden, strong feeling of happiness or excitement.
When Mia saw the surprise party, her heart leaped with joy.
Did your heart leap when you heard the good news?
This means to form an opinion about something without having enough information.
Don't jump to conclusions before you hear the full story.
Aiden leaped to the conclusion that he failed the exam.
leap — noun
1. a sudden and significant change from one state to another — for example, a big i
a sudden and significant change from one state to another — for example, a big increase in price, a jump in quality, or a quick move from one level to a much higher one.
The country made a huge leap from poverty to prosperity in one generation.
a leap from [X] to [Y]
There was a dramatic leap in the number of students enrolling in computer science courses.
a leap in [statistic]
Adopting solar power was a great leap forward for the small farming community.
The new software represents a significant leap in how doctors diagnose rare diseases.
- a quantum leap
- a giant leap
- a huge leap forward
- a dramatic leap in
- a leap of imagination
- jump
more neutral; leap suggests a larger or more dramatic shift
- surge
implies a powerful, often uncontrolled increase, especially in numbers
- quantum leap
emphasises that the change is so large it feels like entering a whole new category
Grammar Patterns
a leap + in + [noun]
a leap + from + [X] + to + [Y]
Usage Note
Often paired with adjectives like huge, dramatic, giant, great, or sudden. The preposition 'in' introduces the thing that changed; 'from…to…' shows the starting and ending points.
Common Mistakes
2. the act of pushing your body off the ground and moving through the air, especial
the act of pushing your body off the ground and moving through the air, especially a long or energetic one.
With one great leap, the deer cleared the fence and disappeared into the forest.
adjective + leap + cleared [obstacle]
Matthew took a running leap and landed safely on the other side of the stream.
a running leap
The cat made a sudden leap from the windowsill onto the kitchen counter.
Hoa's leap across the muddy ditch impressed everyone in the hiking group.
- take a leap
- make a leap
- a running leap
- a great leap
- a sudden leap
- leap across
- leap over
Grammar Patterns
a leap + over/across/from/into
Usage Note
Common in physical descriptions and sports (long jump, high jump). Unlike sense 1 (BIG CHANGE), this sense always refers to an actual physical movement.
Common Mistakes
3. the measurement of how far someone or something travels when jumping from one po
the measurement of how far someone or something travels when jumping from one point to another.
The kangaroo can cover a leap of over nine metres in a single bound.
a leap of + [distance measurement]
Ilhan measured his best leap at just under three metres during practice.
A frog's leap may be twenty times the length of its own body.
Her best leap of the competition measured exactly four metres and ten centimetres.
best leap of + [event]
- a leap of two metres
- cover a leap of
- measure a leap
- best leap
Grammar Patterns
a leap of + [distance]
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 2 (PHYSICAL JUMP): this sense is about the measurement, not the action itself. Used especially in sports (long jump, triple jump) and animal descriptions.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- leapernounC1
- leapingadjectiveB1
- leapfrognounB2
- leapfrogverbB2
- o'erleapverbC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All five words describe moving off the ground through the air, but they differ in style and range. Jump is the most general and neutral word — you can jump for joy, jump over a puddle, or jump up and down. Leap suggests a longer, more forceful, or more dramatic jump, often across a gap or over something high. Spring emphasises a sudden, elastic movement as if released from tension — a cat springs at a bird, a coiled rope springs open. Bound implies a series of light, energetic forward jumps, like a rabbit bounding across a field. Vault involves using your hands, a pole, or some support to clear an obstacle, such as vaulting over a fence with one hand on the rail. For a single, deliberate jump over a wide gap, leap is the strongest choice; for everyday up-and-down movement, stick with jump.
Common collocations
Phrases
- leap of faith
- by leaps and bounds
- leap in the dark
- quantum leap
Etymology
Leap comes from Old English hlēapan, meaning 'to jump, run, or dance.' It is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old Saxon hlōpan and Old Norse hlaupa. The sense of a sudden change or advance (a leap in profits, a leap of faith) developed in the 1500s, extending the physical jumping idea into figurative territory. The idiom look before you leap has been in use since at least the 1300s, originally as a warning to check for hazards on the far side of a ditch before jumping.