jump

1. to spring clear of the ground or other support by a sudden muscular effort; leap:

   to jump into the air;

   to jump out a window.

2. to rise suddenly or quickly:

   He jumped from his seat when she entered.

3. to move or jerk suddenly, as from surprise or shock:

   He jumped when the firecracker exploded.

4. to obey quickly and energetically; hustle:

   The waiter was told to jump when the captain signaled.

5. Informal. to be full of activity; bustle:

   The whole town is jumping with excitement.

6. to start a campaign, program, military attack, etc.; launch an activity, especially of major proportions (usually followed by off ):

   The march jumped off early in the morning.

7. Checkers. to move from one side of an opponent's piece to a vacant square on the opposite side, thus capturing the opponent's piece.
8. to rise suddenly in amount, price, etc.:

   Costs jumped again this quarter.

9. to pass abruptly, ignoring intervening steps or deliberation:

   to jump to a conclusion.

10. to change abruptly:

    The traffic light jumped from green to red.

11. to move or change suddenly, haphazardly, aimlessly, or after a short period:

    He jumped from job to job.

12. to pass or go aimlessly:

    He jumped from one thing to another without being able to concentrate on anything.

13. Digital Technology. to pass instantaneously, and sometimes randomly, to a point out of sequence for entering, recording, or playing back data; skip:

    Notice that when you press "End" the cursor jumps to the end of the line.

    The music streaming service keeps jumping back to the top of the playlist.

14. to parachute from an airplane.
15. to take eagerly; seize (often followed by at ):

    He jumped at the offer of a free trip.

16. to enter into something with vigor (usually followed by in or into ):

    She jumped into the discussion right away.

17. to advance rapidly from one level to another, especially in rank; pass through or skip intermediate stages in a forward or upward progression:

    He jumped from clerk to general manager in a year.

18. Movies. (of a shot or frame) to fail to line up properly with the preceding or following frames because of a mechanical fault in the camera or projector.
19. Bridge. to make a jump bid:

    She jumped from three clubs to four spades.

20. Journalism. (of newspaper copy) to continue on a subsequent page, following intervening copy ( turn ).

1. to leap or spring over:

   to jump a narrow stream.

2. to cause to leap:

   She jumped the horse over the fence.

3. to skip or pass over; bypass:

   to jump the third grade in school.

4. to move past or start before (a signal); anticipate:

   One car jumped the red light and collided with a truck.

5. to increase sharply:

   The store jumped its prices.

6. Checkers. to capture (an opponent's piece) by leaping over.
7. to attack or pounce upon without warning, as from ambush:

   The thugs jumped him in a dark alley.

8. to elevate or advance, especially in rank, by causing to skip or pass rapidly through intermediate stages:

   The boss jumped his son from mail clerk to plant manager.

9. Bridge. to raise (the bid) by more than necessary to reach the next bidding level, especially as a signal to one's partner.
10. Informal.
    1. to abscond from; leave:

       The robbers jumped town.

    2. to flee or escape from.
11. to seize or occupy illegally or forcibly (a mining claim or the like), as on the ground of some flaw in the holder's title.
12. (of trains, trolleys, etc.) to spring off or leave (the track).
13. to get on board (a train, bus, etc.) quickly or with little planning or preparation for the trip:

    He jumped a plane for Chicago.

14. Journalism. to continue (a story) from one page to another over intervening copy.
15. Metalworking. to upset; thicken (a bar or the like) by striking the end (often followed by up ).
16. Slang: Vulgar. to engage in an act of sexual intercourse with.
17. to connect (a dead battery) to a live battery by attaching booster cables between the respective terminals.

1. an act or instance of jumping; leap.
2. a space, obstacle, apparatus, or the like, cleared or to be cleared in a leap.
3. a short or hurried journey.
4. a descent by parachute from an airplane.
5. a sudden rise in amount, price, etc.:

   a considerable jump in the stock market.

6. a sudden upward or other movement of an inanimate object.
7. an abrupt transition from one point or thing to another, with omission of what intervenes:

   The speaker made an unexplained jump in topic.

8. a move or one of a series of moves:

   The gangster stayed one jump ahead of the police.

9. Sports. any of several contests that feature a leap or jump. Compare long jump ( def 2 ), high jump ( def 1 ).
10. Movies. a break in the continuity of action due to a failure to match the action of one frame with the following one of the same scene.
11. a sudden start as from nervous excitement:

    He gave a jump when the firecracker went off.

12. Checkers. the act of taking an opponent's piece by leaping over it to an unoccupied square.
13. the jumps, Informal. restlessness; nervousness; anxiety:

    Long trips in trains and planes give me the jumps.

14. Also called breakover. Journalism. the part of a story continued on another page.
15. Mathematics. the difference in limit values at a jump discontinuity of a given function.
16. Automotive. jump-start ( def 1 ).

1. Jazz.
   1. of, relating to, or characteristic of swing.
   2. of, relating to, or characteristic of jazz; played at a bright tempo.

1. Obsolete. exactly; precisely.

verb phrase

1. to blame or rebuke; reprimand:

   He'll jump on anyone who contradicts him.