leapfrog
/ˈliːpfrɒɡ
/noun [mass noun]
A game in which players in turn vault with parted legs over others who are bending down: we were playing leapfrog...
- This game of electoral leapfrog might be in the best interest of individual states, but it's destructive to the national interest.
- Key states play leapfrog in the skirmish for early primary dates.
verb (leapfrogs, leapfrogging, leapfrogged) [no object]
1Perform such a vault: they leapfrogged around the courtyard
1.1 [no object, with adverbial] Surpass or overtake another to move into a leading or dominant position: she leapfrogged into a sales position...
- So when she gets into the job market, graduates younger than her are leapfrogging for positions.
- The bait: an opportunity for politicians-in-the-making to leapfrog into lofty party positions.
- Without a large and well-integrated base, any attempt to leapfrog by moving in unproven directions in technological growth can lead to long-term problems, even if there are some gains in the short term.
1.2 [with object] Pass over (a stage or obstacle): attempts to leapfrog the barriers of class...
- Many have leapfrogged transitional stages of development by adopting more advanced technologies.
- We don't have to go there in linear fashion, we could leapfrog the technology stage.
- He said it had built a portfolio of exclusive patents and hoped to leapfrog the next stage of the development of LCD, which is used in 80 per cent of flat panel displays.