Meaning & use
leaplings
Last updated
“leaplings” is a form of “leapling”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralinformal
People who were born on February 29, a date that only exists in leap years.
Grammar: Almost always used in the plural; the singular 'leapling' refers to one such person.
Patterns
- a leapling
- born a leapling
My cousin is a leapling, so she celebrates her birthday on February 28 in normal years.
The group of leaplings meets every four years on their real birthday.
Leaplings often joke that they are only a quarter of their age.
Word forms
| singular | leapling |
|---|
Common combinations
- a proud leapling
- He is a proud leapling and tells everyone about his rare birthday.
- born a leapling
- She was born a leapling, on the extra day of a leap year.
- fellow leaplings
- Fellow leaplings sometimes join online groups to share birthday stories.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leap-day baby
- A friendlier, more descriptive phrase that is clearer to people who have never heard 'leapling'.
Word family
- leap year noun
- A year with 366 days, which is why February 29 exists.
- leap day noun
- February 29, the extra day in a leap year.
Commonly confused: leaplings or sapling?
leaplings vs sapling
A sapling is a young tree; a leapling is a person born on February 29. They sound similar but mean very different things.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'leapling' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A leapling is a person born on February 29, so only the birthday sentence fits. The tree and fish options describe a sapling or a fish, not a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leaplings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.