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| leap [ leep ] |
verb (past and past participle leaped or leapt [ lept ], present participle leap·ing, 3rd person present singular leaps) |
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| Definition: |
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1. intransitive verb jump forcefully: to make a jump with a long or high arc
  leaped over the stream with ease
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2. intransitive verb move as if by jumping: to move abruptly, as if by jumping up or across something
The dog leaped into her arms.
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3. intransitive verb abruptly switch to something: to move abruptly to a new thought or action
immediately leaped to the wrong conclusion
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4. intransitive verb go up substantially: to increase suddenly and sizably
Stock prices leaped to new highs.
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5. transitive verb jump over something: to jump over an obstacle
didn't think he could leap the fence
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6. transitive verb make animal jump: to cause an animal to jump over something
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noun (plural leaps) |
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| Definition: |
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1. forceful jump: a long and high jump
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2. distance of jump: the distance covered by a leap
a leap of almost eight feet
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3. place to jump: a place over or from which to leap
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4. large increase: a sudden and sizable increase
a leap in profits
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5. music musical interval: a large interval in music
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| [ Old English hlēapan< Germanic, "run"] |
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| leap·er noun |
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a leap in the dark an action taken without knowing what the outcome or consequences will be
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in or by leaps and bounds extremely rapidly
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