quantum leap

noun

1. a sudden highly significant advance; breakthrough

quantum leap

1. In physics, the movement of an electron from one orbit in an atom to another, sending out or taking on a photon in the process. (See Bohr atom.)

Informally, a “quantum leap” may be any great, sudden, or discontinuous change.

Word History and Origins

Origin of quantum leap¹

C20: from its use in physics meaning the sudden jump of an electron, atom, etc from one energy level to another

Idioms and Phrases

A dramatic advance, especially in knowledge or method, as in Establishing a central bank represents a quantum leap in this small country's development. This term originated as quantum jump in the mid-1900s in physics, where it denotes a sudden change from one energy state to another within an atom. Within a decade it was transferred to other advances, not necessarily sudden but very important ones.

Example Sentences

It’s a luxury, a quantum leap, one that can save your imagination from a propensity to meek fatalism or received social patterns.

From Los Angeles Times

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the former Dutch prime minister said the 5% spending commitment was "a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future".

From BBC

Nato needs a "quantum leap" in defence to deter threats to the alliance, its secretary general has said, as he called for Western allies to invest more in their armed forces.

From BBC

Fin Smith is the man tasked with delivering a quantum leap forward.

From BBC

When connected to a power source, electrons travel down the tip and make a quantum leap across the atom-sized gap.

From Science Daily