leap

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++leap1 /liːp/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle leapt /lept/ especially British English, leaped especially American English)  1  jump 跳 a) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]JUMP to jump high into the air or to jump in order to land in a different place 跳，跳跃 She leapt over the fence. 她跳过篱笆。 The smaller animals can easily leap from tree to tree. 体形较小的动物可以在树丛间轻巧地跳来跳去。 b) [transitive] literaryJUMP to jump over something 跳过，跃过 Brenda leaped the gate and ran across the field. 布伦达跃过大门，跑过田野。► see thesaurus at jump →4  See picture of 见图 JUMP 12  move fast 快速移动 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]FAST/QUICK to move very quickly and with a lot of energy 猛冲 I leapt up the stairs three at a time. 我一步三级地冲上楼。 He leapt out of bed. 他从床上一跃而起。 She leapt to her feet (=stood up quickly) and started shouting. 她立刻站起来开始大喊大叫。3  increase 增加 [intransitive]INCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNT to increase quickly and by a large amount 骤增，剧增 OPP tumbleleap to Profits leapt to £376m. 利润骤增至3.76亿英镑。 He leapt 27 places to second spot. 他上升了27位，跃居第二名。4  leap at the chance/opportunity ENTHUSIASTICto accept an opportunity very eagerly 急忙抓住机会 I leapt at the chance of studying abroad. 我赶紧抓住了出国留学的机会。5  leap to somebody’s defence British English, leap to somebody’s defense American English to quickly defend someone 马上保护某人 When her younger brother was being bullied she leapt to his defence. 弟弟遭人欺负，她挺身而出保护他。6  heart 心脏 [intransitive] literaryHAPPYEXCITED if your heart leaps, you feel a sudden surprise, happiness, or excitement 〔心〕猛跳 My heart leaped when I saw Paul at the airport. 在机场看到保罗时，我的心猛地一跳。7.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 〔文章中的词语〕跃入…的眼帘 SYN jump out at → look before you leap at look1(12)→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

leap• The price of gas leapt 15% overnight.• Shares leapt about 5% to $32.375.• We leapt from rock to rock, trying to synchronise the landing wobble into a launch aid.• Men, on the other hand, might leap higher, suspend themselves longer, and whirl faster.• It was leaping in stillness to receive the Light.• At one point I was forced to leap into a hip-high drift to avoid being run over by an oil truck.• But what is all that leaping into each others' arms, Peli with his legs wrapped round Jairzinho's waist?• The branch shattered in half, and the gulls crouched to leap, only to be sucked under the bow waves.• Tessa leaped onto the boat just as it was moving away from the bank.• The fish leaped out of the water.• They had leapt out, screaming murderously, but now they dropped all around us, dying and dead.• The bartender leapt over the bar and tried to stop the fight.• I leapt the fence to safety, leaving the dog snarling behind me.• He leaped through the window and was gone.• David Laing had leapt to his feet again, spraying his neighbours with cold coffee.leapt to ... feet• Laura leapt to her feet, a sign that she was about to deliver her own speech.• David Laing had leapt to his feet again, spraying his neighbours with cold coffee.• As she moved closer to him on the sofa, he leapt to his feet and began pacing the floor.• Burun leapt to his feet and charged out of the door.• Duvall lashed backwards, but Jimmy had leapt to his feet, colliding with one of the hessian screens.• He leapt to his feet, took Talbot's hand, and shook it vigorously.• She leapt to her feet with a cry which was instantly stifled by a mouthful of insects.• Gilbert uttered a strangled cry and leapt to his feet with shadow reflections of crawling rain on his spectrally white face.leap2 ●●○ noun [countable]  1  JUMPa big jump 跳跃 SYN bound He threw a stick into the river and the dog went after it in a flying leap. 他把一根枝条扔到河里，那条狗一个飞跃就追了过去。2  a large increase or change 剧增，激增；剧变quantum/great/huge etc leap a quantum leap (=very great increase or change) in population levels 人口水平的巨大增长leap in a 16% leap in pre-tax profits 税前利润激增16%leap forward the huge leap forward that took place in the 1980s 发生在20世纪80年代的巨大飞跃3  by/in leaps and bounds LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNTif something increases, develops, grows etc by leaps and bounds, it does it very quickly 迅速地，突飞猛进地 Lifeboat technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. 救生艇技术突飞猛进。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 想象跳跃，想象力的发挥5. leap in the dark RISKsomething you do without knowing what will happen as a result 冒险举动，轻举妄动；瞎闯6. leap of faith something you do even though it involves a risk, hoping that it will have a good result 果敢的举动

Examples from the Corpus

leap• Gold shares gained following a leap in the price of gold.• Powell won with a leap of 27 feet, 10 inches.• The momentum derives not from a lulling flow or titillating suspense but from astoundingly acrobatic leaps from perch to perch.• Borrowers have been warned to expect another leap in bank interest rates.• Coffee and orange juice prices made their biggest leaps on Friday.• They will ride the surf or the bows of a vessel, constantly passing back and forth and making boisterous leaps.• I can see the Internet business growing by leaps and bounds.• Yet our conventional forces have not made an equivalent leap into the future.• It encompasses both the art of spin doctoring and also our fragile human need and ability to make huge leaps of faith.• His spirits, which had dropped at her last words, rose with an irrational leap.• In one leap, that acquisition made Northern Britain's biggest milkman, with approaching a quarter of the market.• Not the leap Halle believed it would be.• With a tremendous leap, James managed to catch the ball.quantum/great/huge etc leap• When she read the first word, J O E, her heart gave a great leap.• Then her heart gave a great leap.• The use of the sea lions is a great leap forward in whale-tracking technology, Hurley said.• Agricultural technologies have revolutionized farm production, resulting in quantum leaps in output.• He needed to walk, to run, to take great leaps into the air.• Since the Great Leap Forward of the 1950s, millions of young and unemployed people have been sent to the countryside.• The quantum leap expressed itself partly in population levels.• But Mr Glocer says that the company has dealt with great leaps in delivery before.From Longman Business Dictionaryleapleap1 /liːp/ verb (past tense and past participle leapt /lept/ especially British English, leaped especially American English) [intransitive] to increase quickly and by a large amountShares leapt about 5% to $32.375.→ See Verb tableleapleap2 noun [countable] a sudden large increase in the number or amount of somethingSales and earnings took a huge leap.leap inGold shares gained following a leap in the price of gold. → quantum leapOrigin leap1 Old English hleapan

leap1 verbleap2 nounChinese  

high jump to to air Business in jump the into or Corpus

leap

I

leap¹ /liːp/ verb (past tense and past participle leapt /lept/ especially British English, leaped especially American English)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
   OPP  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)
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ 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.
     
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
   SYN  jump out at

II

leap² noun [countable]
1. a big jump
   SYN  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