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• leaf
  leaf

  noun

  one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.
• Leaf
  Leaf

  noun

  Munro 1905–76, U.S. author and illustrator of books for children.

leaf

¹ American  

[leef] / lif /

noun

• leaves
  plural

1. one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.

2. any similar or corresponding lateral outgrowth of a stem.

3. a petal.

   a rose leaf.

4. leaves collectively; foliage.

5. Bibliography. a unit generally comprising two printed, blank, or illustrated pages of a book, one on each side.

6. a thin sheet of metal.

   silver leaf.

7. a lamina or layer.

8. a sliding, hinged, or detachable flat part, as of a door or tabletop.

9. a section of a drawbridge.

10. a single strip of metal in a leaf spring.

11. a tooth of a small gear wheel, as of a pinion.

12. leaf fat.

13. Textiles. shaft.

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verb (used without object)

• leafs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leafed,
  past participle,  past
• leafing
  present participle

1. to put forth leaves.

2. to turn pages, especially quickly (usually followed bythrough ).

   to leaf through a book.

verb (used with object)

• leafs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leafed,
  past participle,  past
• leafing
  present participle

1. to thumb or turn, as the pages of a book or magazine, in a casual or cursory inspection of the contents.

idioms

1. in leaf, covered with foliage; having leaves.

   the pale green tint of the woods newly in leaf.

2. take a leaf out of / from someone's book, to follow someone's example; imitate.

   Some countries that took a leaf out of American industry's book are now doing very well for themselves.

3. turn over a new leaf, to begin anew; make a fresh start.

   Every New Year's we make resolutions to turn over a new leaf.

Leaf ² American  

[leef] / lif /

noun

1. Munro 1905–76, U.S. author and illustrator of books for children.

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leaf British  

/ liːf /

noun

1. the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants, usually consisting of a flat green blade attached to the stem directly or by a stalk

2. foliage collectively

3. (of shrubs, trees, etc) having a full complement of foliage leaves

4. one of the sheets of paper in a book

5. a hinged, sliding, or detachable part, such as an extension to a table

6. metal in the form of a very thin flexible sheet

   gold leaf

7. a foil or thin strip of metal in a composite material; lamina

8. short for leaf spring

9. the inner or outer wall of a cavity wall

10. a crop that is harvested in the form of leaves

11. a metal strip forming one of the laminations in a leaf spring

12. a slang word for marijuana

13. to imitate someone, esp in one particular course of action

14. to begin a new and improved course of behaviour

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verb

1. to turn (through pages, sheets, etc) cursorily

2. (intr) (of plants) to produce leaves

leaf Scientific  

/ lēf /

1. An appendage growing from the stem of a plant. Leaves are extremely variable in form and function according to species. For example, the needles of pine trees, the spines of cacti, and the bright red parts of the poinsettia plant are all leaves modified for different purposes. However, most leaves are flat and green and adapted to capturing sunlight and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. They consist of an outer tissue layer (the epidermis) through which water and gases are exchanged, a spongy inner layer of cells that contain chloroplasts, and veins that supply water and minerals and carry out food. Some leaves are simple, while others are compound, consisting of multiple leaflets. The flat part of the leaf, the blade, is often attached to the stem by a leafstalk.

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leaf More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing leaf

• quake in one's boots (like a leaf)
• take a leaf out of someone's book
• turn over a new leaf

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• leaflessness
  noun
• unleaf
  verb (used with object)
• leafless
  adjective
• leaflike
  adjective
• unleaflike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• leaves
  plural

Participles

• leafing
  present
• leafed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• leaf
  simple
• leafs
  simple
• have leafed
  perfect
• has leafed
  perfect
• am leafing
  progressive
• are leafing
  progressive
• is leafing
  progressive
• have been leafing
  perfect progressive
• has been leafing
  perfect progressive

Past

• leafed
  simple
• had leafed
  perfect
• was leafing
  progressive
• were leafing
  progressive
• had been leafing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will leaf
  simple
• will have leafed
  perfect
• will be leafing
  progressive
• will have been leafing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of leaf

First recorded before 900; Middle English leef, lef, Old English lēaf; cognate with Dutch loof, German Laub, Old Norse lauf, Gothic laufs

Explanation

A leaf is part of a plant that's usually green and attached to it by a stem or stalk. In the fall, the leaves of many trees turn various bright colors before falling to the ground. In the spring, trees grow new leaves. Ahhh, the circle of life. A plant's leaves are the organs that take part in photosynthesis, which brings it needed nutrients. From this botanical meaning comes another definition of leaf, "a sheet of printed paper or a page in a book." And when you leaf through a book, you turn its pages. You might also "tremble like a leaf," or shake with fear; or "turn over a new leaf," start a new part of your life with new resolutions or attitudes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leaf Leaf leaves leafs leafed leafing

We are keenly aware of Mr. Lucas’s pride and delight in each acquisition, and he lets us see them, one after another, just as a stamp collector might leaf through his album.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

At just six months old, the leaf monkey curled up inside DNP vet Thanawadee Phaichana's rubber-gloved hand is very small indeed.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

“With Zephyr, it’s like you can really appreciate all the little things, because he is interested in every leaf, and every stick, and every bug. It’s like a moment of zen.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

The tails side of every newly-minted coin from the 1p to the £2 now features the country's flora and fauna - from bees to an oak tree leaf.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Fa’s knife was beautiful and deadly, with a blade of banded blue slate shaped like a willow leaf, and a haft of red deer antler that was bound with elk sinew for a better grip.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Nissan introduced the third generation of its Leaf EV this year but has indefinitely delayed the import of the vehicle’s most affordable variant from Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The missing Indians were in the country with three travel agencies: Samrat Tours & Travels, Leaf Holiday and Himalayan Glacier.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

At nearby Fallen Leaf Lake, Margaret Deanesly Ziegler has tried everything to keep bears out of her 1928 summer cabin—mats with nails, electric bungee cords, even a steel door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

"Sales are taking much longer and it is proving increasingly difficult to generate commitment," said Jeremy Leaf, a estate agent in north London.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Thorn’s father, Leaf Laroux, walked down the floating spiral stairs at the center of the bookshop.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

The woman boards the train, which leaves within minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Nike’s decline leaves few technical arguments for an imminent rebound.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

And, as you have discovered, don’t rely on a single source of income, primarily because Social Security or one retirement account leaves you exposed to inflation, drops in equity markets and unexpected bills.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

But Holbrook’s ambiguous turn leaves us uncertain how much his act of contrition is meant to make himself feel better, as opposed to helping Mariam and her family heal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

But then neither he nor I know what to do with it, so he just adds a question mark and leaves it.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

It’s a broadleaf weed that grows in colonies or large groups and have seed leafs that are round and oval with sparse stinging hairs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2023

A bascule bridge is a drawbridge with one or two leafs that open with an upward swing, giving river traffic unlimited clearance.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

Walking with Gregory6 in bare treed October ash woods—winds blowing brown sere leafs at feet—talking of dead Jack—the sky an old familiar place with fragrant eyebrow clouds passing overhead in Fall Current—

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 20, 2019

The barely rustling leafs almost spoiled the effect.

From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2019

If there is nothing decent on television she leafs through books she takes out of the library, books that occupy the space Ashoke normally does on the bed.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

At the airport, I leafed through the collection of mid-1800s botanical illustrations, unable to imagine a more appropriate souvenir.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

Veteran journalers refilled matching Fujifilm photo printers, while newbies leafed through fresh sticker books.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025

Back at my tiny Airbnb above a Chinese supermarket, I leafed through it.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2024

It’s just a 5-foot skinny stick now, but it has leafed out and is so beautiful and full of promise.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

I found some books on experimental psychology and leafed through them slowly, then checked the indexes and bibliographies.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Spend enough time cooking — or leafing through cookbooks in bed — and you notice certain ingredients keep reaching for one another.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Shortly after opening time on a recent morning, the Kettering store already had a number of middle-aged customers milling about the space leafing through magazines—yes, it has those—or asking for advice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Leo Kelly—a devout Christian Iowan who was seen ascending the Senate dais, leafing through sensitive documents, and praying in the chamber—described it as “a blessing.”

From Slate ● May 28, 2026

Trees only delay leafing after actual infestations, which prevents insects from adapting to the change over time.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

He sits with Maxine on the fainting couch, leafing through a coffee table book she’d helped to edit on eighteenth-century French wallpapers, one side of the book resting on each of their knees.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• frond
• needle
• petal
• stalk