Leap

to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump:
to leap over a ditch.
to move or act quickly or suddenly:
to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump:
to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.
to jump over:
to leap a fence.
to pass over as if by a jump.
to cause to leap:
to leap a horse.
a spring, jump, or bound; a light, springing movement.
the distance covered in a leap; distance jumped.
a place leaped or to be leaped over or from.
a sudden or abrupt transition:
a successful leap from piano class to concert hall.
a sudden and decisive increase:
a leap in the company’s profits.
by leaps and bounds, very rapidly:
We are progressing by leaps and bounds.
leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown:
The experiment was a leap in the dark.
leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
Contemporary Examples

Antonio Banderas’s Homecomings Maria Elena Fernandez October 10, 2011
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers Ted Gioia December 4, 2014
Aviation Leaders Went Missing Along With MH370 Clive Irving May 6, 2014
NY Fashion Week: Time for Fashion to Get Hip Robin Givhan February 16, 2011
The Evolution of the ‘New World Order’ Lizzie Crocker November 4, 2013

Historical Examples

The Cavalier George Washington Cable
Old News Nathaniel Hawthorne
Dr. Jolliffe’s Boys Lewis Hough
Night and Morning, Complete Edward Bulwer-Lytton
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete Gilbert Parker

verb leaps, leaping, leapt, leaped
(intransitive) to jump suddenly from one place to another
(intransitive) often foll by at. to move or react quickly
(transitive) to jump over
to come into prominence rapidly: the thought leapt into his mind
(transitive) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier
noun
the act of jumping
a spot from which a leap was or may be made
the distance of a leap
an abrupt change or increase
(music) Also called (US and Canadian) skip. a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part
a leap in the dark, an action performed without knowledge of the consequences
by leaps and bounds, with unexpectedly rapid progress
v.

First loke and aftirward lepe [proverb recorded from mid-15c.]

Related: Leaped; leaping.
n.

leap in the dark
leap of faith