leash
Americannoun
noun
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a line or rope used to walk or control a dog or other animal; lead
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something resembling this in function
he kept a tight leash on his emotions
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hunting three of the same kind of animal, usually hounds, foxes, or hares
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eagerly impatient to begin something
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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leashsimple
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leashessimple
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have leashedperfect
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has leashedperfect
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am leashingprogressive
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are leashingprogressive
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is leashingprogressive
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have been leashingperfect progressive
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has been leashingperfect progressive
Past
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leashedsimple
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had leashedperfect
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was leashingprogressive
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were leashingprogressive
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had been leashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leash
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English lesh, variant of lece, lese, from Old French laisse; see lease 1
Explanation
Dog owners who live in the city need a leash, a rope or cord attached to the dog's collar that helps his owner keep him safe and restrained. When you walk a dog, you hold his leash to guide him along the sidewalk and keep him from chasing squirrels into busy streets. The word leash is also useful for describing a figurative kind of guide or restraint: "The teachers at that school keep their students on a short leash when they take field trips downtown." The students aren't on actual leashes, but they are constrained. Leash comes from the Old French word laissier, or "loose."
Vocabulary lists containing leash
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.
See Examples For:
“You are dealing with imperfect information. So the mindset is to take down the exposure if it is the beginning of the end. We have a short leash on these stocks,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
She added there had been "no safety briefing" beforehand, none of the participants had the right type of leash for their boards in these conditions and Lloyd did not have any next of kin details.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
“Then towards the end of the season, we’re going to see how the points fall and whether anything needs to be done. But at that stage, absolutely off the leash, both of them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Guarded by elite army commandos, their mascot Aloka -- a stray dog rescued in India -- walked on a leash, drawing bows and clasped hands from devotees lining the route.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
He grabbed the center of Freebie's leash and pulled both the dog and Benji inside.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Rising pet ownership in China has sparked a rush of companies into making items such as dog food, leashes and toys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
He muscled it into the cage elevator, leashes in hand, the machine balanced against his hip like a prize wrested from fate.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025
She said she had seen people with boards the wrong way round and leashes, which should be attached to legs or waists, around people's wrists.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2024
“Add a boot tray below the hooks to corral wet shoes and a basket to store dog leashes or winter hats and gloves.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
A few gripped the leashes of red-eyed wolves.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
A German Jew in 1920s Hamburg, Walther Laqueur stands on his home’s front steps with his sleek Doberman leashed and ready for a walk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Your leashed dogs are also welcome to join us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2024
In defense of his owner, the leashed dog dispatched the attacking canine in less than 30 seconds – enough for a TikTok video, had TikTok been around in the 80s.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2024
Top tips: Don’t ever try feed a moose or see it up close, and make sure to keep any pets leashed around the animals.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 17, 2023
François leashed them and brought them on deck.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
This includes proper training, identifying problematic behaviours, leashing dogs in public and microchipping pets.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
He envisions having informational screenings playing in the waiting room, building on awareness programs the community is already doing on best practices like leashing and kenneling to keep pets from harm.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
Last week, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez sponsored the "Responsible Dog Ownership Act," which would create stronger laws related to the leashing and fencing of dogs.
From Fox News ● Mar. 30, 2021
“Thank you,” Christian Cooper says in response to her leashing her dog, as he lowers his phone and stops recording.
From Slate ● May 26, 2020
If honest men agree, they don't need a stamped bit of paper; and if they disagree, where's the point in leashing them together, like a couple of growling dogs?
From The Prodigal Father by Clouston, J. Storer (Joseph Storer)
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.
