leaf

[ leef ]

/ lif /

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See synonyms for leaf on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural leaves

[leevz]. /livz/.

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

any similar or corresponding lateral outgrowth of a stem.

a petal: a rose leaf.

leaves collectively; foliage.

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

a thin sheet of metal: silver leaf.

a lamina or layer.

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

a section of a drawbridge.

a single strip of metal in a leaf spring.

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

leaf fat.

Textiles. shaft (def. 14).

verb (used without object)

to put forth leaves.

to turn pages, especially quickly (usually followed by through): to leaf through a book.

verb (used with object)

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

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Idioms about leaf

in leaf, covered with foliage; having leaves: the pale green tint of the woods newly in leaf.

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.

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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM leaf

leafless, adjectiveleaflike, adjectiveun·leaf, verb (used with object)un·leaf·like, adjective

Other definitions for leaf (2 of 2)

Leaf

[ leef ]

/ lif /

noun

Mun·ro

[muhn-roh], /mʌnˈroʊ/, 1905–76, U.S. author and illustrator of books for children.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use leaf in a sentence

Just as a leaf flutters to the ground, this is an inherently unstable configuration and the aerodynamics are impossible to predict.
SpaceX Starship Prototype Exploded, but It’s Still a Giant Leap Towards Mars|Hugh Hunt|December 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
Like, we’re not changing anything, we’re just putting a fig leaf on the art.
“I started crying”: Inside Timnit Gebru’s last days at Google—and what happens next|Karen Hao|December 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review
When bafflers crawl through a hole in a leaf, align their wings with the leaf and start to sing, they’re essentially expanding this resonance structure, using the leaf “a bit like a loudspeaker or a megaphone,” Deb says.
Small, quiet crickets turn leaves into megaphones to blare their mating call|Jonathan Lambert|December 16, 2020|Science News
I heard from a relatively small group of 142 Losers who combed the fall season for jokes on Thanksgiving, Halloween, pumpkin spice, leaf blowers, Oktoberfest, and the Four Seasons Total Landscaping Press Conference.
Style Conversational Week 1414: YIP, YIP for 2021|Pat Myers|December 10, 2020|Washington Post

If leaf senescence does not shift at the same pace, those animals could be without the food and cover that late-season leaves usually provide.
Climate change is affecting fall foliage, but not in the way you think|Ula Chrobak|November 30, 2020|Popular-Science
Holding them in my hands, leafing through the pages, is a comfort to me.
Larry McMurtry: May the Books Flourish!|Larry McMurtry|September 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As an adult she was a “newsagent reader,” leafing through copies at newsstands before buying the more refined Sunday Telegraph.
Brits Bid ‘World’ Goodbye|Sam Bungey|July 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
“I hope to sell other works” she said, and returned to leafing through her books of transparencies.
The Coolest Works at Frieze|Anthony Haden-Guest|October 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Before I left they were leafing through books to see if anything fell out but that is all I saw.
Warren Commission (3 of 26): Hearings Vol. III (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
After leafing through them once, it had been a while before Barney could bring himself to study the notes in more detail.
Gone Fishing|James H. Schmitz
Leafing, blossoming, and ripening early (blossoming soon after Riparia).
The Grapes of New York|U. P. Hedrick
Running rose-bushes, just leafing out into their fall greenery, overgrew the pillars beside her.
The Readjustment|Will Irwin
You could have knocked me over with a turkey feather, when I saw the kind of book he was leafing through.
Shenanigans at Sugar Creek|Paul Hutchens

British Dictionary definitions for leaf

leaf

/ (liːf) /

noun plural leaves (liːvz)

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 stalkRelated adjectives: foliar, foliate

foliage collectively

in leaf (of shrubs, trees, etc) having a full complement of foliage leaves

one of the sheets of paper in a book

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

metal in the form of a very thin flexible sheetgold leaf

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

short for leaf spring

the inner or outer wall of a cavity wall

a crop that is harvested in the form of leaves

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

a slang word for marijuana

take a leaf out of someone's book or take a leaf from someone's book to imitate someone, esp in one particular course of action

turn over a new leaf to begin a new and improved course of behaviour

verb

(when intr, usually foll by through) to turn (through pages, sheets, etc) cursorily

(intr) (of plants) to produce leaves

Derived forms of leaf

leafless, adjectiveleaflessness, nounleaflike, adjective

Word Origin for leaf

Old English; related to Gothic laufs, Icelandic lauf

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for leaf

leaf

[ lēf ]

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with leaf

leaf

In addition to the idiom beginning with leaf

leaf through

also see:

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

leaf

Idioms about leaf

Origin of leaf

OTHER WORDS FROM leaf

Other definitions for leaf (2 of 2)

Words related to leaf

How to use leaf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for leaf

Derived forms of leaf

Word Origin for leaf

Scientific definitions for leaf

Other Idioms and Phrases with leaf