Exult leaped into English in the 16th century as a verb meaning "to leap for joy." George Chapman used it that way in a translation of Homer's Iliad: "To drive his chariot through the waves. From whirl pits every way the whales exulted under him," he interprets. This use of the verb skipped around in English until the 18th century, when it gracefully exited the everyday lexicon, leaving the verb's other meaning—"to be extremely joyful; to rejoice"—to stay the course. Exult springs from Latin saltare ("to leap"), also the source of saltation, a word for leaping as well as dancing. Another etymological cousin of exult is sally, meaning "to leap out" or "to set out," as in "After the storm passed, the hikers sallied forth."
“That was the best meal I've ever had!” he exulted. the winners of the Super Bowl spent the next week exulting in their victory
Recent Examples on the WebWeinreich did not plan to stay awake until dawn to exult in that achievement, to revel in the perpetuation of the sort of uncontested primacy that most fans, in theory, crave.New York Times, 22 Apr. 2022 For fifteen years, Zabihullah Mujahid was the Tokyo Rose of the Taliban: a clandestine operative who called reporters to claim responsibility for his fighters’ attacks and to exult in their victories. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 For the city’s mayor, Ras Baraka, the progress has provided a chance to exult after he was long accused of neglecting, mismanaging and denying the severity of the problem. Kevin Armstrong, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021 The day when artists and audiences can breathe and exult together in the same room is getting ever closer. Rohan Preston, Star Tribune, 8 June 2021 And, if the ninety-fourth Academy Awards will no longer exult in the period luxury of Union Station, perhaps another grand arena can be found. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2021 But the new display feels liberating, giving permission to exult in simple aesthetic experience.BostonGlobe.com, 24 Mar. 2021 Just as American adults exult in their individuality, so too are children encouraged to think of themselves as imbued with their own personality. Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 26 Feb. 2021 In different times, the result might have been cause to exult. Glenn Gamboa, ajc, 27 Jan. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle French exulter, from Latin exsultare, literally, to leap up, from ex- + saltare to leap — more at saltation