leap
[verb]
Synonyms:
- jump, bounce, bound, hop, skip, spring
[noun]
Synonyms:
- jump, bound, spring, vault
- increase, escalation, rise, surge, upsurge, upswing

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Contrasted words: drop, fall, sink, slump
Related Words: arise, ascend, mount, rise, soar

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English Thesaurus: jump, skip, hop, leap, bounce, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. leap¹ /liːp/ verb (past tense and past participle leapt /lept/ especially British English, leaped especially American English)
[Language: Old English; Origin: hleapan]

1. JUMP
a) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to jump high into the air or to jump in order to land in a different place:
She leapt over the fence.
The smaller animals can easily leap from tree to tree.
b) [transitive] literary to jump over something:
Brenda leaped the gate and ran across the field.

2. MOVE FAST [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move very quickly and with a lot of energy:
I leapt up the stairs three at a time.
He leapt out of bed.
She leapt to her feet (=stood up quickly) and started shouting.

3. INCREASE [intransitive] to increase quickly and by a large amount Antonym : tumble
leap to
Profits leapt to £376m.
He leapt 27 places to second spot.

4. leap at the chance/opportunity to accept an opportunity very eagerly:
I leapt at the chance of studying abroad.

5. leap to sb’s defence British English, leap to sb’s defense American English to quickly defend someone:
When her younger brother was being bullied she leapt to his defence.

6. HEART [intransitive] literary if your heart leaps, you feel a sudden surprise, happiness, or excitement:
My heart leaped when I saw Paul at the airport.
⇒ look before you leap at look¹(12)
leap out at somebody phrasal verb
if a word or phrase in a piece of writing leaps out at you, you notice it particularly, because it is interesting, important etc Synonym : jump out at

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. leap² noun [countable]

1. a big jump Synonym : bound:
He threw a stick into the river and the dog went after it in a flying leap.

2. a large increase or change
quantum/great/huge etc leap
a quantum leap (=very great increase or change) in population levels
leap in
a 16% leap in pre-tax profits
leap forward
the huge leap forward that took place in the 1980s

3. by/in leaps and bounds if something increases, develops, grows etc by leaps and bounds, it does it very quickly:
Lifeboat technology has advanced by leaps and bounds.

4. a leap of (the) imagination (also an imaginative leap) a mental process that is needed to understand something difficult or see the connection between two very different ideas

5. leap in the dark something you do without knowing what will happen as a result

6. leap of faith something you do even though it involves a risk, hoping that it will have a good result

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

leap
noun
I. big jump
ADJ. big, giant, prodigious | little | flying, running He made a flying leap at the ball.
VERB + LEAP make, take
PREP. ~ from, ~ into a leap into the air
~ to

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

leap
II. great change/increase in sth
ADJ. big, enormous, giant, great, huge, quantum There has been a quantum leap in profits since 1995.
small | bold, dramatic, sudden a dramatic leap in the number of people out of work
imaginative, intuitive | technological
VERB + LEAP make They've made a great leap forward with their road building in the last few years.
PREP. ~ from a leap from $632 to $735
~ in a leap in prices
~ of a leap of 750%
~ to
PHRASES a leap forward, by leaps and bounds, come on/improve in leaps and bounds His technique has come on in leaps and bounds this season.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

leap
verb
ADV. almost, nearly He almost leaped down the stairs when he heard who it was.
immediately | suddenly | clear, high She leaped clear of the water.
about, around, back, down, forward, out, up (and down) children leaping about with excitement
VERB + LEAP seem to (figurative) The photograph seemed to leap off the page at her.
be about to, be ready to Don't be so nervous?anyone would think I was about to leap on you.
PREP. across leaping across the puddles
from He leaped down from the ladder and ran over towards her.
into, off, on, onto He leaped onto his horse and rode off.
out of He leaped out of bed when he heard the telephone.
over leaping over high fences
PHRASES leap to your feet Rosie immediately leaped to her feet.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

jump verb [intransitive and transitive] to push yourself up into the air, over something etc, using your legs:
The cat jumped up onto the table.
He jumped over the stream.
His horse jumped the fence successfully.
skip verb [intransitive] to move forwards with little jumps between your steps, especially because you are feeling happy:
The little girl was skipping down the street.
hop verb [intransitive] to jump or move around on one leg:
He was hopping around because he’d injured his foot.
leap verb [intransitive and transitive] especially written to suddenly jump up high or a long way:
The deer leapt over the fence.
Tina leapt onto the boat as it was moving away.
Fish were leaping out of the water.
bounce verb [intransitive] to jump up and down several times, especially on something that has springs in it:
Children love bouncing on beds.
dive verb [intransitive] to jump into water with your head and arms first:
Zoë dived into the swimming pool.
vault /vɔːlt $ vɒːlt/ verb [intransitive and transitive] especially written to jump over something in one movement, using your hands or a pole to help you:
He vaulted the ticket barrier and ran for the exit.
Ben tried to vault over the bar.
go into a dive (=start to move downwards)
The plane was in trouble, then it went into a dive.
pull out of a dive (=stop a plane going down)
He tried to pull out of the steep dive before hitting the ground.
a steep dive (=going down suddenly)
The fighter plane went into a steep dive.
a vertical dive (=going straight down)
His actions sent the plane into a near vertical dive.
a shallow dive (=going down slowly rather than suddenly)
The bird captures its prey on the ground after a long, shallow dive.
bar a place where people go to buy and drink alcoholic drinks:
A man went into a bar and ordered a drink.
Let’s meet up in the hotel bar.
The city centre is full of wine bars and restaurants.
The club has a restaurant and a cocktail bar.
pub a building in Britain where alcohol can be bought and drunk, and where meals are often served:
Do you fancy going to the pub?
a country pub
public house British English formal a pub:
The fight took place outside a public house in the city centre.
sb’s local informal a pub near where you live, especially one you often go to:
The Red Lion’s my local.
inn a small hotel or pub, especially an old one in the countryside – often used in the name of the hotel or pub:
The Bull Inn dates back to the 15th century.
The hotel was once a 17th century coaching inn (=used by people travelling by coach and horses).
gastropub a pub that is known to serve very good food:
a gastropub with a riverside restaurant
the Windmill Gastropub
tavern British English a pub in the past where you could also stay the night – used nowadays in the names of some pubs:
the Turf Tavern
Marlowe was killed in a fight in a tavern.
watering hole informal a bar, pub etc where people drink alcohol – often used humorously. A watering hole is also the name for a place where wild animals go to drink:
The bar became a popular watering hole for journalists.
What’s your favorite watering hole?
honky-tonk American English informal a cheap bar where country music is played:
They played in every honky-tonk in Tennessee.
saloon a bar in the western United States. Also used in Britain about the part of a pub which has comfortable chairs where you can sit and relax:
I felt like a cowboy walking into a saloon in the Wild West.
Do you want to stay in the saloon, or would rather go into the other bar?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

leap
li:p
See: by leaps and bounds

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲