Definition

1. Verb:
   • To leave undone or leave out; to omit or miss: This meaning describes the act of failing to include something or to do something that should have been done.
   • To jump across or leap over (an obstacle): This is the literal, physical meaning of propelling oneself over something.
   • To defeat (oneself) by going too far; to overreach: This figurative meaning describes causing one's own failure by exceeding reasonable limits or being overly ambitious.

Usage and Examples

• Meaning 1 (To omit or miss):

  • Be careful not to overleap any important steps in the instructions.
  • In his haste, he overleaped a crucial detail in the contract.

• Meaning 2 (To jump over):

  • The athlete could easily overleap the low hurdle.
  • The deer overleaped the fence and escaped into the woods.

• Meaning 3 (To defeat by overreaching):

  • His ambition to finish the project in one day caused him to overleap himself and make many errors.
  • She overleaped by promising more than she could deliver, damaging her credibility.

Advanced Usage

• "To overleap oneself": This is a set phrase specifically for the third meaning, indicating self-defeat through excessive effort or ambition.
  • In trying to impress the committee, he overleaped himself and his presentation became confusing.

Variants and Related Words

• Overleaped/Overleapt: Both are accepted as the simple past and past participle forms.
• Leap (v): To jump or spring a long way. This is the root verb.
• Overreach (v): To fail by trying to achieve more than is possible. A close synonym for the third meaning.

Synonyms

• For Meaning 1: Omit, skip, miss, overlook, neglect.
• For Meaning 2: Vault, jump over, clear, hurdle.
• For Meaning 3: Overreach, overextend, overshoot.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The first meaning (to omit) and the third meaning (to overreach) are more common in formal or literary contexts.
• The second meaning (to jump over) is the most literal but is less frequently used in modern everyday English than simpler verbs like "jump over" or "clear."
• The word often carries a connotation of an error or excess, whether it's missing something or trying too hard.

Verb

1. leave undone or leave out
   • How could I miss that typo?
   • The workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of ten
2. jump across or leap over (an obstacle)
3. defeat (oneself) by going too far