leek
Americannoun
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a cultivated plant, Allium ampeloprasum, of the amaryllis family, related to the onion, with a long cylindrical bundle of straplike leaves that are used in cooking, especially the paler portion near the base.
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any of various onion-related plants, especially the wild leek, Allium ampeloprasum, from which the culinary leek was cultivated.
noun
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Also called: scallion. an alliaceous plant, Allium porrum, with a slender white bulb, cylindrical stem, and broad flat overlapping leaves: used in cooking
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any of several related species, such as A. ampeloprasum (wild leek)
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a leek, or a representation of one, as a national emblem of Wales
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leek
First recorded before 1000; from Middle English lek, leck, leike; Old English lēac, lēc, lēc; cognate with German Lauch, Dutch look, Old Norse laukr
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:
Among England's Tudor rose, Scotland's thistle, the Welsh leek and the Irish shamrock are the Canadian maple leaf and India's lotus flower.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
Just add hot water to unleash flavors of mushroom, leek, seafood and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
Add onions and leek, season with salt and cook until translucent, without color, about 5 more minutes.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2025
“You couldn’t even get a leek in the grocery store” back then, he told me in 2012, and he grew vegetables behind the restaurant.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
“It’s leek and potato stew with a tarragon garnish and melted Gruyere cheese,” he admitted.
From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
The first step is to sauté leeks and garlic in olive oil, butter and, crucially, a bit of white miso.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
For his ramp-themed dinner, Jaranilla put together a five-course tasting menu to showcase the versatility of the allium, in the same family as garlic, leeks and onions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
After making speeches, the royal couple took part in the annual tradition of presenting handmade leeks to officers and soldiers to wear on their chests.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
The 51-year-old laughed as he shared that they eat leeks and lamb - and that they have a leek-eating competition on 1 March.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
Men were coming in from the cold, stomping their feet to knock the snow off their boots and breeches as the midday meal was served—blood sausage, leeks, and brown bread still warm from the ovens.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
