leather
Americannoun
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the skin of an animal, with the hair removed, prepared for use by tanning or a similar process designed to preserve it against decay and make it pliable or supple when dry.
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an article made of this material.
adjective
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pertaining to, made of, or resembling leather.
leather processing; leather upholstery.
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Slang. catering to or patronized by customers who typically wear leather clothing, often as a means of signaling interest in or preference for sadomasochistic sexual activity.
verb (used with object)
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to cover or furnish with leather.
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Informal. to beat with a leather strap.
noun
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a material consisting of the skin of an animal made smooth and flexible by tanning, removing the hair, etc
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( as modifier )
leather goods
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(plural) leather clothes, esp as worn by motorcyclists
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the flap of a dog's ear
verb
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to cover with leather
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to whip with or as if with a leather strap
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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leathersimple
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leatherssimple
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have leatheredperfect
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has leatheredperfect
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am leatheringprogressive
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are leatheringprogressive
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is leatheringprogressive
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have been leatheringperfect progressive
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has been leatheringperfect progressive
Past
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leatheredsimple
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had leatheredperfect
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was leatheringprogressive
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were leatheringprogressive
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had been leatheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leather
before 1000; Middle English lether, Old English lether- (in compounds); cognate with Dutch, German leder, Old Norse lethr, MIr lethar skin, leather, Welsh lledr, Middle Breton lezr leather
Explanation
Leather is a material that's made from animal skin and used to make shoes, bags, furniture covers, and many other things. You might be too hot if you wear your leather pants to the beach. Most expensive, well-made shoes are made of leather — although it's pliable and easy to shape, it's also extremely strong and long-lasting. To make leather, the skin of an animal is stripped of all fur or hair, and then tanned, or treated to keep it from cracking and drying. The leather collars on early US Marines' uniforms led to their nickname being "leathernecks."
Vocabulary lists containing leather
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chris Leather, officer in charge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Criminal Operations in Ontario, called the gunfire a national-security incident.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
Leather goods manufacturer Sitoy Group Holdings promotes $100 handbags it claims are nearly identical to those sold for upward of $1,000, made on the same production lines that manufacture for Prada and Michael Kors.
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
Leather Britches makes for a great community-building project!
From Salon • Feb. 2, 2025
Other highlights included Megan Moroney being honoured with best new artist, while Cody Johnson won album of the year for Leather, and Brooks & Dunn won best vocal duo.
From BBC • Nov. 21, 2024
Leather couches and big flat-screen TVs hanging from the walls next to art in fancy frames, which seemed weird because he didn’t seem like the TV type, or the art type.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
