jumper
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a warm piece of clothing with long sleeves, usually made of wool, that you pull over your head.
n.a knitted garment, typically made of wool or cotton, worn over the upper body. In British English, this is the standard term for a sweater or pullover.
Simple“It was getting cold outside, so she put on a thick blue jumper.”
In context“The school uniform policy requires students to wear a navy blue jumper over their collared shirts during the winter months.”
UsageCommonly used in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand where American speakers would say 'sweater'.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a dress without sleeves that is usually worn over a shirt or blouse.
n.A sleeveless, one-piece dress or a skirt with an attached bodice, typically worn over a blouse or turtleneck.
Simple“The little girl wore a plaid jumper over a white long-sleeved shirt.”
In context“For the autumn collection, the designer featured a corduroy jumper paired with a lightweight silk blouse.”
Teacher's tipLearners should be aware that this word refers to a dress in the US but a sweater in the UK.
Synonymspinafore - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a person or animal that jumps, especially in a sport.
n.An athlete or animal participating in a jumping event, such as high jump or long jump.
Simple“The horse is a natural jumper and easily cleared the high fence.”
In context“The Olympic jumper spent years perfecting his technique to gain those extra few centimetres in the triple jump final.”
Synonymsleaperathlete - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a shot in basketball where the player jumps into the air.
n.A jump shot; a basketball shot made while the player is at the highest point of a vertical leap.
Simple“He took a quick jumper from the corner and scored three points.”
In context“The guard's ability to hit a contested jumper consistently made him a threat from anywhere on the perimeter.”
Synonyms - 05 C1 Advanced
n.a small wire or pin used to connect parts of an electrical circuit.
n.A short length of conductor used to close, open, or bypass part of an electronic circuit.
Simple“You might need to move the jumper on the motherboard to reset the settings.”
In context“The technician used a jumper to bypass the faulty switch and restore power to the diagnostic panel.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to connect two electrical points using a small wire.
v.To create an electrical bypass or connection between two points using a jumper wire.
Simple“The engineer had to jumper the two terminals to test the alarm system.”
In context“By jumpering the connection, the maintenance crew was able to keep the cooling system running while the primary controller was being replaced.”
From jump + -er.
From the term jump (“short coat”) + -er, originally in sailors' jargon, ultimately of uncertain origin. Jump is possibly from Scottish English jupe (“man's loose jacket or tunic”), from Middle English juype, gype, joupe, from Old French jupe, juppe, from Arabic جُبَّة (jubba); see also jibba. Cognate with Middle Low German jōpe, gōpe (“waistcoat, jacket”), German Joppe (“jacket”). Alternatively, perhaps derived from jump.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.