quantum leap

noun

a sudden large increase or advance

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this may not insure success but it will represent a quantum leap from last summer

• Syn: ↑quantum jump

• Hypernyms: ↑jump, ↑leap

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noun

see quantum jump II

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quantum jump or quantum leap noun

1. The sudden transition of an electron, atom, etc from one energy state to another

2. A sudden spectacular advance, esp one which dramatically skips over intermediate stages of understanding or development

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Main Entry: ↑quantum

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quantum leap UK US noun [countable] [singular quantum leap plural quantum leaps]

a very big change or improvement

Thesaurus: improvement and improvements_synonym

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quantum leap,

a great or major advance; quantum jump: »

Cable television will have the structure for a quantum leap followed by an effectively wired nation a decade later (New Yorker).

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noun, pl ⋯ leaps [count]

: a sudden large change, development, or improvement

Prices have taken a quantum leap upward.

The new drug is a quantum leap in the fight against cancer.

— called also quantum jump

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ˌquantum ˈleap [quantum leap] (also less frequent ˌquantum ˈjump) noun

a sudden, great and important change, improvement or development

•

This discovery marks a quantum leap forward in the fight against cancer.