Word.ws English Dictionary

jump cut

jump cut noun: a cinematographic edit in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time. Also the alternative form of jump-cut.

Noun

jump cut (plural jump cuts)

  1. A cinematographic edit in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time.
    • Jump cuts used to be considered unacceptable mistakes. Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960) was the first time jumpcutting was used extensively in a narrative film.2002, Michael Wohl, Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro, Peachpit Press, →ISBN, page 57
  2. A sudden switch from running forward to running to the side.
    • “The advantage of a guy being his size and having quick feet, it’s unexpected,” said Marcel Shipp, the running backs coach. “Guys come in thinking he’s a big, bruising back. Then he’ll hit a jump cut on you and head down the sideline.”2015 October 24, Ben Shpigel, “Chris Ivory, a Bulldozing Ballet Dancer, Keeps Defenders on Their Toes”, in The New York Times

Also used as

jump cut is also the alternative form of jump-cut.

Forms of jump cut

Noun
pluraljump cuts
alternative formjump-cut
alternative formjumpcut
Verb
third-person singular presentjump cuts
present participlejump cutting
past participlejump cut
pastjump cut

Questions about jump cut

What does jump cut mean?
Jump cut means a cinematographic edit in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time.
What part of speech is jump cut?
Jump cut is a noun.
What is the plural of jump cut?
The plural of jump cut is jump cuts.

Words near jump cut in the dictionary

  1. jump box
  2. jump boxes
  3. jump claims
  4. jump cushion
  5. jump cushions
  6. jump cut
  7. jump cuts
  8. jump down
  9. jump down someone's throat
  10. jump drive
  11. jump drives

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: jump cut (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “jump cut.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/jump_cut. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.