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.

to rise suddenly or quickly

He jumped from his seat when she entered.

to move or jerk suddenly, as from surprise or shock

He jumped when the firecracker exploded.

to obey quickly and energetically; hustle

The waiter was told to jump when the captain signaled.

Informal . to be full of activity; bustle

The whole town is jumping with excitement.

to start a campaign, program, military attack, etc.; launch an activity, esp. of major proportions (usually fol. by off )

The march jumped off early in the morning.

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.

to rise suddenly in amount, price, etc.

Costs jumped again this quarter.

to pass abruptly, ignoring intervening steps or deliberation

to jump to a conclusion.

to change abruptly

The traffic light jumped from green to red.

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

He jumped from job to job.

to pass or go aimlessly

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

to omit letters, numbers, etc.; skip

This typewriter jumps and needs repairing.

to parachute from an airplane.

to take eagerly; seize (often fol. by at )

He jumped at the offer of a free trip.

to enter into something with vigor (usually fol. by in or into )

She jumped into the discussion right away.

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

He jumped from clerk to general manager in a year.

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.

Bridge . to make a jump bid

She jumped from three clubs to four spades.

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

to leap or spring over

to jump a narrow stream.

to cause to leap

She jumped the horse over the fence.

to skip or pass over; bypass

to jump the third grade in school.

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

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

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

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

to increase sharply

The store jumped its prices.

Checkers . to capture (an opponent's piece) by leaping over.

to attack or pounce upon without warning, as from ambush

The thugs jumped him in a dark alley.

Bridge . to raise (the bid) by more than necessary to reach the next bidding level, esp. as a signal to one's partner.

Informal .

to abscond from; leave

The robbers jumped town.

to flee or escape from.

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.

(of trains, trolleys, etc.) to spring off or leave (the track).

to get on board (a train, bus, etc.) quickly or with little planning or preparation for the trip

He jumped a plane for Chicago.

Journalism . to continue (a story) from one page to another over intervening copy.

Metalworking . to thicken (a bar or the like) by striking the end; upset (often fol. by up ).

Slang

Vulgar to engage in an act of coitus with.

to connect (a dead battery) to a live battery by attaching booster cables between the respective terminals.

an act or instance of jumping; leap.

a space, obstacle, apparatus, or the like, cleared or to be cleared in a leap.

a short or hurried journey.

a descent by parachute from an airplane.

a sudden rise in amount, price, etc.

a considerable jump in the stock market.

a sudden upward or other movement of an inanimate object.

an abrupt transition from one point or thing to another, with omission of what intervenes

The speaker made an unexplained jump in topic.

a move or one of a series of moves

The gangster stayed one jump ahead of the police.

Sports . any of several contests that feature a leap or jump. Compare broad jump , high jump .

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.

a sudden start as from nervous excitement

He gave a jump when the firecracker went off.

Checkers . the act of taking an opponent's piece by leaping over it to an unoccupied square.

the jumps, Informal . restlessness; nervousness; anxiety.

Also called breakover. Journalism . the part of a story continued on another page.

Mathematics . the difference in limit values at a jump discontinuity of a given function.

Automotive . jump-start ( def. 1 ) .

Jazz .

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of swing.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of jazz; played at a bright tempo.

Obsolete . exactly; precisely. ?

jump on, to blame or rebuke; reprimand

He'll jump on anyone who contradicts him.

get or have the jump on

to get or have a head start or an initial advantage over

They got the jump on us in selling the item, but we finally caught up.

jump aboard or on board, to join a group, activity, etc.

esp. one that has been operating or functioning for some time

After some hesitation, he jumped aboard and contributed heavily to the campaign.

jump all over someone

to reprimand; criticize

You don't have to jump all over me just because I'm a little late.

jump bail. bail 1 ( def. 8 ) .

jump down someone's throat. throat ( def. 12 ) .

jump in or into with both feet, to join or enter into exuberantly, eagerly, hastily

etc.

jump ship. ship ( def. 15 ) .

jump the gun. gun 1 ( def. 14 ) .

on the jump

in a hurry; running about

Lively youngsters keep their parents on the jump.