jumping

Definition of jumpingnext
present participle of jump
1
2
as in cringing
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) the sudden appearance of a mouse scurrying across the floor made me jump

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jumping Word spread quickly, and one of us—Lindsay Baach Friedmann—immediately swung into action, jumping into her car to make the three-hour drive up to Jackson. Lindsay Baach Friedmann, Time, 13 Feb. 2026 Additionally, shares have had three amazing years in a row, jumping 36% in both 2025 and 2024, and 41% in 2023. Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026 At the time Donkey Kong was released, the rules of video games were still being written; even the idea of a character jumping was new, as artists and programmers were just starting to feel out the possibilities of this nascent technological art form. Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026 High turnover in the AI industry has not been unusual in recent months—with researchers often jumping ship to rival labs or leaving to start their own ventures—but the scale of the exits at xAI is unusual. Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026 The pilot of the ski-jumping drone, Exarchos said, is a ski jumper who knows most of the athletes personally. Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 And Maryland is quickly becoming a national leader in early literacy, jumping twenty spots in national rankings in just two years. Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2026 It must be understood that historical references to this team are like prompts on an online dating profile — not under any circumstances to be taken seriously, but a fun jumping off point. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026 In the years before, international migration had been swiftly increasing, jumping from about 43,000 in 2021 to more than 350,000 in 2024. William Tong, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jumping
Verb
  • One of the biggest pieces of news of the week came via the Seahawks’ pool report, and that’s that rookie safety Nick Emmanwori suffered an ankle injury while leaping up in a passing drill.
    Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Myles Lewis-Skelly was one of the last into the fray, leaping onto his huddled team-mates.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In it, her fellow students can be seen gasping, covering their faces and cringing.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
  • Encouraged to see Jones sorta respond, Mackie kept babbling on and on and on about his dad, unaware that everyone else in the room was cringing.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Wasserman has previously admitted to flying with Epstein on the financier’s private plane on a trip to Africa with Maxwell and former President Clinton.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Winter Olympic athletes, particularly those who compete in events that involve flying down a mountain or icy track at breakneck speeds, are not exactly known for self-preservation instincts.
    Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Unfortunately, one of the few downsides of hotel hopping is having to repack and unpack your bags between stays, as well as the time lapse during the day between check-out and check-in.
    Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
  • McDonald’s, now, is hopping on the trend train, offering a suspiciously free caviar set for Valentine’s Day in partnership with Paramount Caviar, which includes caviar, crème fraîche, a caviar spoon, and a $25 McDonald’s gift card.
    Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Wind roared through the open doorway and into the vestibule where I was pressed against the side, wincing at the noise.
    Monisha Rajesh, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
  • The actress was shown wincing in pain before being escorted out of the ballroom on a stretcher into an ambulance.
    Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • He was seated in the bow, and the momentum of the raft pushed him into the alders, where a large branch swept him out of his seat and into the rushing water.
    Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
  • For many of the workers who have spent the past several days rushing home, secure jobs and fair wages are clearly high on their wish list from the changing government.
    Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The high-stakes move is aimed at stopping a half-dozen suburbs from bolting from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Parsley leaves also turn bitter after bolting.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • That’s because Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old legend racing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, violently crashed just 13 seconds into her race, losing control on the first jump as her pole hit a gate, turning sideways in the air and slamming to the ground.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
  • In Prince George’s County, a woman driving well above the legal alcohol limit and racing another car at speeds topping 100 miles per hour crashed into another car, killing three young men.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jumping. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on jumping

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!