jump

present singular third person jumps · participle present jumping · participle past jumped · past jumped · first person past singular jumped · archaic present second person singular jumpest · past second person singular jumped · archaic past second person singular jumpedst · present singular third person jumps · archaic present singular third person jumpeth · past singular third person jumped · past plural jumped · past subjunctive jumped · participle present jumping · participle past jumped

1. intransitiveTo propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.

   The boy jumped over a fence.

   3 more examples

   Kangaroos are known for their ability to jump high.

   Not the worst of the three but jumps twelve foot and a half by the square.

   c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]

   Parkour – often referred to as freerunning – entails creatively moving through an urban environment: flipping, jumping and vaulting across various obstacles.

   2022 June 16, Issy Ronald, “Meet the parkour athletes defying fear and gravity at Red Bull Art of Motion”, in CNN, archived from the original on 26 Jun 2022

   Synonyms: leap, spring

2. intransitiveTo cause oneself to leave an elevated location and fall downward.

   She is going to jump from the diving board.

   Synonyms: jump down, jump off

3. transitiveTo pass by means of a spring or leap; to overleap.

   to jump a stream

4. intransitiveTo employ a parachute to leave an aircraft or elevated location.

   Synonyms: skydive

5. intransitiveTo jerk the body involuntarily in response to a sudden or unexpected stimulus.

   That balloon popping made me jump.

   1 more example

   He jumped when he looked up to see a man standing before him.

   1. intransitivetransitiveusuallyhobbiesTo drop sharply downward at the sound of a bowstring release or the fire of a gun.

      The buck jumped at the shot of the rifle.

      1 more example

      The deer jumped the string, so the archer missed his target.

6. figurativelyintransitiveTo increase sharply, to rise, to shoot up.

   Share prices jumped by 10% after the company announced record profits.

7. intransitiveTo employ a move in certain board games where one game piece is moved from one legal position to another passing over the position of another piece.

   The player's knight jumped the opponent's bishop.

8. transitiveTo move to a position (in a queue/line) that is further forward.

   I hate it when people jump the queue.

   Synonyms: skip, cut

9. transitiveTo pass (a traffic light) when it is indicating that one should stop.
10. transitiveTo attack suddenly and violently.

    The hoodlum jumped a woman in the alley.

    Synonyms: ambush

11. slangtransitiveTo engage in sexual intercourse with (a person).

    Harold: How is Sarah? I don't want to jump her while she's on the rag.

    1983, The Big Chill

    Synonyms: hump

12. transitiveTo cause to jump.

    The rider jumped the horse over the fence.

13. transitiveTo move the distance between two opposing subjects.
14. transitiveTo increase the height of a tower crane by inserting a section at the base of the tower and jacking up everything above it.
15. intransitivecyclingTo increase speed aggressively and without warning.
16. obsoletetransitiveTo expose to danger; to risk; to hazard.

    to jump a body with a dangerous physic

    c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]

17. transitiveartsTo join by a buttweld.
18. To thicken or enlarge by endwise blows; to upset.
19. businessTo bore with a jumper.
20. To jump-start a car or other vehicle with a dead battery, as with jumper cables.

    […] his wife, who was at home with their children, would drive to school to jump his car; both would drive home;[…]

    2015 January 30, Robert M. Morgan, Janet Turner Parish, George Deitz, Handbook on Research in Relationship Marketing, Edward Elgar Publishing, →ISBN, page 250

    1 more example

    [Someone] and Mr. Benfield were at the corner of Elm and Walton Streets when they were approached by Mr. Gray, who asked for help to jump his car. When informed they did not have jumper cables, Mr. Gray asked them to take him to get some.

    2000, United States. Employees' Compensation Appeals Board, Decisions of the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board: Index digest, page 511

21. obsoleteTo coincide; to agree; to accord; to tally; followed by with.

    It jumps with my humour.

    a. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, act I, scene ii

    1 more example

    The fortune of the dice jumpeth not commonly with the fortune of war.

    1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 18

22. intransitivecomputingTo start executing code from a different location, rather than following the program counter.

    When this section is completed, the code generally jumps back to the Exit Section, and the procedure is closed.

    2008, Garry Robinson, Real World Microsoft Access Database Protection and Security

23. archaicintransitiveslangTo flee; to make one's escape.

    “It's all clear,” he whispered. “Have you the chisel and the bags? Great Scott! Jump, Archie, jump, and I'll swing for it!” Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts.

    1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Red-Headed League

    Synonyms: beat it

24. figurativelyintransitiveTo shift one's position or attitude, especially suddenly and significantly.

    The administration is jumping back from that message.

    1 more example

    Think hard before you jump towards a particular solution.

25. intransitivebiologyTo switch locations on chromosomes.
26. intransitiveslangTo commit suicide.

plural jumps

1. The act of jumping; a leap; a spring; a bound.

   To advance by jumps.

   a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC

2. An effort; an attempt; a venture.

   Our fortune lies / Upon this jump.

   c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene viii]

3. businessA dislocation in a stratum; a fault.
4. architectureAn abrupt interruption of level in a piece of brickwork or masonry.
5. An instance of propelling oneself upwards.

   The boy took a skip and a jump down the lane.

   Synonyms: leap

6. An object which causes one to jump; a ramp.

   The skier flew off the jump and landed perfectly.

7. An instance of causing oneself to fall from an elevated location.

   There were a couple of jumps from the bridge.

8. An instance of employing a parachute to leave an aircraft or elevated location.

   She was terrified before the jump, but was thrilled to be skydiving.

9. An instance of reacting to a sudden stimulus by jerking the body.

   Synonyms: flinch, jerk, twitch

10. A jumping move in a board game.

    the knight's jump in chess

11. A button (of a joypad, joystick or similar device) used to make a video game character jump (propel itself upwards).

    Press jump to start.

12. equestrianismAn obstacle that forms part of a showjumping course, and that the horse has to jump over cleanly.

    Heartless managed the scale the first jump but fell over the second.

13. with onAn early start or an advantage.

    Their research department gave them the jump on the competition.

    1 more example

    He got a jump on the day because he had laid out everything the night before.

14. mathematicsA discontinuity in the graph of a function, where the function is continuous in a punctured interval of the discontinuity.
15. geographyAn abrupt increase in the height of the surface of a flowing liquid at the location where the flow transitions from supercritical to subcritical, involving an abrupt reduction in flow speed and increase in turbulence.
16. slangAny abrupt increase; a sudden rise; a hike.

    a dramatic jump in prices

    1 more example

    the number of serious offences in England and Wales involving a knife or sharp object recorded in the year ending March 2024 was 54 percent higher – a jump of nearly 22,000 cases – than the figure for 2016.

    2025 November 3, Alex Kozul-Wright and News Agencies, “UK train stabbing attack – how it unfolded and what we know now”, in Aljazeera

17. literatureAn instance of faster-than-light travel, not observable from ordinary space.
18. computingA change of the path of execution to a different location.
19. USabbreviationellipsisinformalautomotiveEllipsis of jump-start.

    My car won't start. Could you give me a jump?

20. abbreviationclippingbroadcastingClipping of jump cut.
21. entertainmentSynonym of one-night stand (“single evening's performance”).

    Next jump will be at the Chicago Theater, Chicago.

    1950 December 23, Billboard, page 36

    Synonyms: one-night stand

1. not comparableobsoleteExactly; precisely.

   Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour, With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch.

   c. 1599–1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, act 1, scene 1, lines 64–65

   Synonyms: accurately, just, slap bang

comparative more jump · superlative most jump

1. obsoleteExact; matched; fitting; precise.

   jump names

   1640, Ben Jonson, An Execration Upon Vulcan

   1 more example

   Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour, / With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch

   c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]

plural jumps

1. A kind of loose jacket for men.

plural Jumps

1. A surname.