Definition

1. Noun:

   • An act of propelling oneself into the air: The physical action of pushing off the ground with one's feet, causing the body to become airborne.
   • A sudden, sharp movement due to surprise or fear: An involuntary physical reaction, such as a startle.
   • A sudden increase or rise: A significant and abrupt upward change in level, quantity, or status.
   • An abrupt transition or change: A sudden shift from one state, topic, or scene to another.

2. Verb:

   • To propel oneself into the air: To push off the ground with the feet, causing the body to become airborne.
   • To move suddenly and quickly: To make a sudden, often startled, physical movement.
   • To increase suddenly and sharply: To rise abruptly in level, amount, or position.
   • To pass over or bypass something: To omit, skip, or move past something, often abruptly.
   • To attack suddenly: To make a sudden physical assault.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The athlete's final jump won her the gold medal.
  • A loud noise gave me a jump.
  • There was a significant jump in sales this quarter.
  • The film used a jump from day to night to show time passing.

• Verb:

  • The cat can jump onto the high shelf.
  • Don't sneak up on me; you made me jump!
  • Stock prices jumped after the positive earnings report.
  • He tends to jump from one idea to the next without finishing.
  • The thugs tried to jump him in the alley.

Advanced Usage

• "to jump at": To accept eagerly or seize an opportunity without hesitation.

  • She jumped at the chance to study abroad.

• "to jump to conclusions": To form an opinion hastily, without having all the facts.

  • Don't jump to conclusions; let's hear the full story first.

• "to jump the gun": To start something before the proper time or before it is permitted.

  • They jumped the gun and announced the news before the official release.

• "to jump ship": To abandon a task, organization, or activity, especially when it is in difficulty.

  • Several key employees jumped ship when the company started having financial problems.

Variants and Related Words

• Jumpy (adj): Nervous, easily startled.

  • The loud noises made the horse jumpy.

• Jump-start (v): To start a vehicle by connecting its battery to another; to give something a quick or forceful start.

  • We had to jump-start the car. / The new campaign will jump-start sales.

• Long jump / High jump (n): Track and field events involving jumping for distance or height.

Synonyms

• Leap: To jump a long distance or high into the air (often implies more force or grace).
• Bound: To move forward with long, springing jumps.
• Spring: To move suddenly and rapidly upward or forward.
• Skip: To move by hopping lightly on one foot and then the other; to omit.
• Start: To make a sudden, brief movement due to surprise or alarm.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Jump in: To enter something eagerly or interrupt a conversation.

  • Feel free to jump in if you have a question.

• Jump on: To criticize or attack someone verbally; to get onto a vehicle.

  • The manager jumped on him for being late. / We jumped on the bus.

• Jump out: To be very noticeable or conspicuous.

  • The bright red title jumps out from the page.

• Jump off: To leap down from a height.

  • He dared his friend to jump off the low wall.

Related Idioms

• Get/Have the jump on someone: To gain an advantage over someone by acting before they do.

  • By starting the project early, we got the jump on our competitors.

• For the high jump: Facing severe punishment or trouble (British English).

  • If the boss finds out, you'll be for the high jump.

• On the jump: Very busy or active.

  • I've been on the jump all day with meetings.

Noun

1. the act of jumping; propelling yourself off the ground
   • he advanced in a series of jumps
   • the jumping was unexpected
2. descent with a parachute
   • he had done a lot of parachuting in the army
3. a sudden involuntary movement
   • he awoke with a start
4. (film) an abrupt transition from one scene to another
5. an abrupt transition
   • a successful leap from college to the major leagues
6. a sudden and decisive increase
   • a jump in attendance

Verb

1. go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions
2. pass abruptly from one state or topic to another
   • leap into fame
   • jump to a conclusion
   • jump from one thing to another
3. bypass
   • He skipped a row in the text and so the sentence was incomprehensible
4. start (a car engine whose battery is dead) by connecting it to another car's battery
5. cause to jump or leap
   • the trainer jumped the tiger through the hoop
6. jump from an airplane and descend with a parachute
7. run off or leave the rails
   • the train derailed because a cow was standing on the tracks
8. jump down from an elevated point
   • the parachutist didn't want to jump
   • every year, hundreds of people jump off the Golden Gate bridge
   • the widow leapt into the funeral pyre
9. rise in rank or status
   • Her new novel jumped high on the bestseller list
10. enter eagerly into
    • He jumped into the game
11. be highly noticeable
12. increase suddenly and significantly
    • Prices jumped overnight
13. make a sudden physical attack on
    • The muggers jumped the woman in the fur coat
14. move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm
    • She startled when I walked into the room
15. move forward by leaps and bounds
    • The horse bounded across the meadow
    • The child leapt across the puddle
    • Can you jump over the fence?