verb | noun
jumpjump1 /dʒʌmp/ ●●● S1 W2 verb 1
UPWARD a)[intransitive] to push yourself suddenly up in the air using your legs: How high can you jump? Lewis jumped 27 feet in the Olympics.jump on/in/across etc. He jumped over a low wall. I’d love to jump in the pool right now. Fans were jumping up and down and cheering. b)[transitive] to go over or across something by jumping: A kid could easily jump that fence.THESAURUSskip – to move forward with little jumps between your steps: The two little girls skipped off down the sidewalk.hop – to move around by jumping on one leg: I twisted my ankle, and had to hop across the back yard to sit down.spring – to jump or move suddenly and quickly in a particular direction. Used especially in writing or literature: She sprang up nervously when she heard the doorbell ring.dive – to jump into water with your head and arms first: The pool is not deep enough to dive into.bounce – to jump up and down several times, especially on a surface that is soft and helps you to go up and down: The kids were bouncing on the trampoline.pounce – to suddenly jump on a person or animal to try to catch him, her, or it, especially from a place where you were hiding: The cats like to pounce on flies as they buzz in the windows.leap – to jump high into the air or over something: The deer leaped over a fallen log and disappeared.hurdle – to jump over something while you are running: The man hurdled a low fence as he ran away.vault – to jump over something in one movement, using your hands or a pole to help you: A young man ran past, vaulting the brick wall at the end of the parking lot.2DOWNWARD [intransitive] to let yourself drop from a place that is above the ground: jump out/down etc. The worst moment was jumping out of the plane. He fell in the pool and she jumped in after him.3MOVE FAST [intransitive always + adv./prep.] to move quickly or suddenly in a particular direction: jump out/away/up etc. Joe jumped up to answer the telephone. Flames jumped across treetops, setting roofs on fire.4MOVE INTO/OUT OF something [intransitive always + adv./prep.] to get into or out of a vehicle or other enclosed space, especially quickly: We all jumped in a taxi and headed downtown.5IN FEAR/SURPRISE [intransitive] to make a sudden movement because you are surprised or frightened: Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump. She just about jumped out of her skin (=she moved suddenly because she was very surprised).► see thesaurus at move16INCREASE [intransitive] to increase suddenly and by a large amount: jump (from something) to something Profits have jumped to over $200 million. The team jumped from ninth to third place in the league.7KEEP CHANGING to change quickly from one place, position, idea, etc. to another, often missing something that comes in between SYN skip: jump (from something) to something The conversation jumped from one topic to another. The movie suddenly jumped ahead to 40 years from now.8ATTACK [transitive] informal to attack someone suddenly: Somebody jumped her from an alley.9jump down somebody’s throat (also jump all over somebody) informal to suddenly speak very angrily to someone: I just asked a question, and she jumped down my throat!10jump to conclusions to form an opinion about something before you have all the facts: There may be a simple explanation. Let’s not jump to conclusions.11jump the gun to start doing something too soon, especially without thinking about it carefully: The editors jumped the gun and published the story without checking the facts.12jump for joy to be extremely happy and pleased13jump through hoops to do a series of things that are difficult or annoying in order to achieve something: They’ll have to jump through a lot of hoops to prove we can trust them.14jump rope to jump over a rope as you swing it over your head and under your feet, as a game or for exercise15jump bail to leave a town, city, or country where a court of law has ordered you to stay until your trial16jump to your feet to stand up quickly17OBEY [intransitive] informal to immediately do what someone tells you to do: If an officer gives you an order, you jump.18CAR [transitive] informal to jump-start a car19be jumping informal if a place is jumping, it is full of activity20jump to it! spoken used to order someone to do something immediately21(go) jump in the lake! spoken used to tell someone in an impolite way to go away22jump the tracks if a train jumps the tracks, it falls off its tracks23jump ship a)informal to leave an organization that you are working for, especially in order to join a different organization b)to leave a ship on which you are working as a sailor, without permission24jump in line to join a line of people by moving in front of others who were already waiting SYN cut25jump a train to travel on a train, especially a train carrying goods, without paying26jump a claim an expression meaning “to claim someone else’s land as your own,” used especially in the 19th century in the U.S.jump at something phrasal verb to eagerly accept an opportunity to do something: Michael jumped at the chance to teach in Barcelona.jump in phrasal verb1to interrupt someone or suddenly join a conversation: I was trying to talk to her, but Ted kept jumping in.2to suddenly start to be involved in something, in order to take an opportunity or get an advantage: Small businesses have to jump in before the opportunity is lost.3to stop people who are fighting or arguing: The teacher jumped in to break up the fight.4jump in with both feet to quickly become deeply involved in a situation without first thinking about it carefully: Jumping in with both feet, he spent large sums of money on equipment.jump on somebody phrasal verb informal to criticize or punish someone, especially unfairly: jump on somebody for something Dad jumps on Jeff for every little mistake.jump out at somebody phrasal verb if something jumps out at you, it is extremely easy to notice: The spelling mistakes jumped out at me. verb | noun
jumpjump2 ●●● S3 noun [countable] 1a sudden large increase, improvement, or advance in something: jump in a jump in real estate prices a jump in qualitya jump from something to something He’s made the jump from college football to the professional game.2an act of pushing yourself suddenly up into the air using your legs: his best jump of the competition3an act of letting yourself drop from a place that is above the ground: a parachute jump4get a jump on somebody/something informal to gain an advantage by doing something earlier than usual or earlier than someone else: I want to get a jump on my Christmas shopping.5stay/keep etc. one jump ahead (of somebody) informal to keep your advantage over the people you are competing with by always being the first to do or know something new: A successful company stays one jump ahead of the competition.6a fence, gate, or wall for jumping over in a race or competition → see also high jump, a hop, skip, and a jump at hop2 (4), long jump, running jump, ski jump