leapfrog

1 of 2

noun

leap·​frog ˈlēp-ˌfrȯg 

-ˌfräg

: a game in which one player bends down and is vaulted over by another player

leapfrog

2 of 2

verb

leapfrogged; leapfrogging

intransitive verb

: to leap or progress in or as if in leapfrog

transitive verb

1

: to go ahead of (each other) in turn

specifically : to advance (two military units) by keeping one unit in action while moving the other unit past it to a position farther in front

2

: to evade by or as if by a bypass

Examples of leapfrog in a Sentence

Verb

Skipping his last two years of high school, he leapfrogged his classmates and went to college.

This year's technologies are leapfrogging last year's designs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Now is the time to play a great game of SEO leapfrog. —David Einstein, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

With a system that learned from existing applications, Apple was able to deliver a product that felt like a leap forward for consumers while being a practical leapfrog for the company. —Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024

Verb

The Longhorns leapfrogged the Georgia Bulldogs in first place in the AP Top 25, after Kirby Smart’s team struggled to a 13-12 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. —Jamie Barton, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024

Luciano committed five errors in nine games with the Giants at shortstop, his primary position, and has since been leapfrogged in the pecking order there by Tyler Fitzgerald. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1872, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

leapfrog

noun

leap·​frog

ˈlēp-ˌfrȯg,

-ˌfräg

: a game in which the first player bends down and another leaps over