jump

Pronunciation: /dʒʌmp/

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Definition of jump

verb

1 [no object, usually with adverbial of direction] push oneself off a surface and into the air by using the muscles in one’s legs and feet:the cat jumped off his lap he jumped twenty-five feet to the ground
[with object] pass over (an obstacle or barrier) by jumping:one of the deer tried to jump the ditch
[with adverbial] (of an athlete or horse) perform in a competition involving jumping over obstacles:his horse jumped well and won by five lengths
(especially of prices or figures) rise suddenly and by a large amount:pre-tax profits jumped from £51,000 to £1.03 million
informal (of a place) be full of lively activity:the bar is jumping on Fridays and Saturdays
[with object] informal (of driver or a vehicle) fail to stop at (a red traffic light): she jumped at least seven red lights
[with object] get on or off (a train or other vehicle) quickly, typically illegally or dangerously: he jumped a freight train on the German border
[with object] North American take summary possession of (a mining concession or other piece of land) after alleged abandonment or forfeiture by the former occupant: the same long story about the time somebody jumped his claim

2 [no object, usually with adverbial] (of a person) move suddenly and quickly in a specified way:Juliet jumped to her feet they jumped back into the car and drove off
(of a person) make a sudden involuntary movement in reaction to something that causes surprise or shock:an owl hooted nearby, making her jump
pass quickly or abruptly from one idea, subject, or state to another:the book jumps constantly from Brooklyn to Harlem
[with object] omit or skip over (part of something) and pass on to a further point or stage.
(of a machine or device) move or jerk suddenly and abruptly:the vibration can cause the needle to jump
(of a person) make a sudden, impulsive rush to do something:Gordon jumped to my defence
Bridge make a bid that is higher than necessary, in order to signal a strong hand:East jumped to four spades
[with object] informal attack (someone) suddenly and unexpectedly: he was jumped by seven men as he opened the front door of his home

3 vulgar slang, North American have sexual intercourse with (someone).

4 [with object] North American informal start (a vehicle) using jump leads:I jumped his saloon from my car’s battery

noun

1an act of jumping from a surface by pushing upwards with one’s legs and feet:in making the short jump across the gully he lost his balance
an obstacle to be jumped, especially by a horse and rider in an equestrian competition: the horse made a nonsense of the second jump
an act of descending from an aircraft by parachute: she will make a sponsored jump at Thruxton Airfield a parachute jump
a sudden dramatic rise in amount, price, or value:a 51 per cent jump in annual profits
a large or sudden transition or change:the jump from county to Test cricket
Bridge a bid that is higher than necessary, signalling strength: a jump to four indicates support for responder’s suit

2North American vulgar slang dated an act of sexual intercourse.

3a sudden involuntary movement caused by shock or surprise:I woke up with a jump
(the jumps) informal extreme nervousness or anxiety: you get the jumps—you feel like J. Edgar Hoover’s on your tail

Phrases

be jumping up and down: informal be very angry, upset, or excited: there are people jumping up and down because at this stage they do not understand all the pros and cons
get (or have) the jump on someone: North American informal get (or have) an advantage over someone as a result of one’s prompt action: two of the team’s top scouts rooted him out of bed at daybreak in their haste to get the jump on their rivals
jump bail: see bail¹.
jump someone's bones: North American vulgar slang have sexual intercourse with someone.
jump down someone's throat: informal respond to what someone has said in a sudden and angrily critical way: I was about to say, before you jumped down my throat, that I agree with you
jump for joy: be ecstatically happy: I’m not exactly jumping for joy at the prospect
jump the gun: see gun.
jump in with both feet: get started enthusiastically.
jump into bed with: informal engage readily in sexual intercourse with: Veronica was never the type to jump into bed with total strangers
jump on the bandwagon: see bandwagon.
jump out of one's skin: informal be extremely startled: I nearly jumped out of my skin when Guy fired his revolver
jump the queue (or US jump in line): push into a queue of people in order to be served or dealt with before one’s turn: he jumped the queue at the ticket counter; take unfair precedence over others:the old boy networks were one way of jumping the promotion queue
jump the rails (or track): (of a train) become dislodged from the track: the engine jumped the rails on its maiden run it’s an action movie so fast it threatens to jump the rails
jump the shark: informal (of a television series or film) reach a point when far-fetched events are included merely for the sake of novelty, indicative of a decline in quality: the majority of television has jumped the shark; few shows maintain their creative ingenuity
[said to be with allusion to the long-running US television series Happy Days, in which the central character (the Fonz) jumped over a shark when waterskiing]
jump ship: (of a sailor) leave the ship on which one is serving without having obtained permission to do so:he jumped ship in Cape Town
jump through hoops: go through an elaborate or complicated procedure in order to achieve an objective: if you want a home birth, you have to fight and jump through hoops
jump to conclusions: see conclusion.
jump to it!: informal used to exhort someone to prompt or immediate action: get back to work—come on, jump to it!
one jump ahead: one step or stage ahead of someone else and so having the advantage over them:the Americans were one jump ahead of the British in this

Phrasal Verbs

jump at: accept (an opportunity or offer) with great eagerness:I’d jump at the chance of a career in football
jump off: (of a military campaign) begin: the air-attack phase will continue before the ground attack jumps off
jump on: attack or take hold of (someone) suddenly: two men jumped on him from behind; criticize (someone) suddenly and severely: we had sergeants and inspectors jumping on us for the least little thing; seize on (something) eagerly; give sudden (typically critical) attention to:the paper jumped on the inconsistencies of his stories
jump out: have a strong visual or mental impact; be very striking:advertising posters that really jump out at you

Derivatives

jumpable

Origin:

early 16th century (in the sense 'be moved or thrown with a sudden jerk'): probably imitative of the sound of feet coming into contact with the ground

jump in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of jump in the US English dictionary

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Other

jump

verb

noun

Phrases

be jumping up and down

get (or have) the jump on someone

jump bail

jump someone's bones

jump down someone's throat

jump for joy

jump the gun

jump in with both feet

jump into bed with

jump on the bandwagon

jump out of one's skin

jump the queue (or US jump in line)

jump the rails (or track)

jump the shark

jump ship

jump through hoops

jump to conclusions

jump to it!

one jump ahead

Phrasal Verbs

jump at

jump off

jump on

jump out

Derivatives

jumpable

Origin:

jump in other Oxford dictionaries

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