leaching

American  

[leech-ing] / ˈlitʃ ɪŋ /

noun

plural

leachings

1. the dissolution or removal of substances out of soil, ashes, or the like by a process of percolation.

2. an instance of such dissolution, or a substance removed in this way.

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leaching Scientific  

/ lē′chĭng /

1. The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock, through the percolation of water. Organic matter is typically removed from a soil horizon and soluble metals or salts from a rock by leaching. Leaching differs from eluviation in that it affects soluble, not suspended, material and often results in the complete removal of the material from the soil or rock.

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Other Word Forms

• non-leaching adjective

Example Sentences

Audience trust is leaching away fast and Brits are increasingly refusing to pay up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Plastic cigarette filters are the world's most littered item, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment and breaking down into microplastics -- while doing very little for the smoker, the secretariat said.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

With rare earths, it's not so much about the mining footprint, rather the processing that is a dirty business – because it involves extraction, leaching, thermal cracking and refining which produce radioactive components.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

Toxic chemicals and heavy metals have been detected that could be leaching into the sediment — something local officials are not equipped to clean up on their own.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024

It took a second for him to register the cold and the damp leaching into his sneakers.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby