leaflet

[leef-lit]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR leaflet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small flat or folded sheet of printed matter, as an advertisement or notice, usually intended for free distribution.

one of the separate blades or divisions of a compound leaf.

a small leaflike part or structure.

a small or young leaf.

verb (used with object), leaf·let·ed or leaf·let·ted, leaf·let·ing or leaf·let·ting.

to distribute leaflets or handbills to or among: Campaign workers leafleted shoppers at the mall.

verb (used without object), leaf·let·ed or leaf·let·ted, leaf·let·ing or leaf·let·ting.

to distribute leaflets.

Origin of leaflet

First recorded in 1780–90; leaf + -let

Related formsleaf·let·er, leaf·let·ter, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for leaflet

brochure, pamphlet, flyer, bulletin, advertisement, flier, handout, handbill, circular, broadside, tract, pinna

Examples from the Web for leaflet

Contemporary Examples of leaflet

Bogucki includes the leaflet in a Powerpoint presentation he has developed.
A Navy Lawyer Cries Foul on Gitmo’s Kafkaesque Legal System
Eleanor Clift
September 26, 2014
“Thanks to Hugh Holliman, death row inmates could leave prison early and move in next door,” the leaflet said.
How the North Carolina GOP Made a Wrongfully Convicted Man a Death Row Scapegoat
Michael Daly
September 4, 2014
The leaflet was thus a lie, though that was hardly surprising in politics.
How the North Carolina GOP Made a Wrongfully Convicted Man a Death Row Scapegoat
Michael Daly
September 4, 2014
He felt compelled to issue a statement after seeing the leaflet.
How the North Carolina GOP Made a Wrongfully Convicted Man a Death Row Scapegoat
Michael Daly
September 4, 2014
If the Passover leaflet from 2014 was nothing but a joke, then it was nonetheless a sick and twisted one.
Passover Week Hate Crimes Evoke Horrible History
Thane Rosenbaum
April 22, 2014

Historical Examples of leaflet

One of them was reading a leaflet as he walked by the side of his cart.
"Bethink Yourselves"
Leo Tolstoi
The special Bible-study which I made at that time was embodied in a leaflet.
How I Know God Answers Prayer
Rosalind Goforth
Captain Harding posted a copy of the leaflet in the police station.
Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls
Various
He threw the leaflet aside, but the flavor of the story was gone.
Under the Redwoods
Bret Harte
It is made by wrapping the leaflet around a piece of bamboo and sewing it.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan
John U. Wolff

British Dictionary definitions for leaflet

leaflet

noun

a printed and usually folded sheet of paper for distribution, usually free and containing advertising material or information about a political party, charity, etc

any of the subdivisions of a compound leaf such as a fern leaf

(loosely) any small leaf or leaflike part

verb

to distribute printed leaflets (to)they leafleted every flat in the area

Derived Formsleafleter, noun

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

Word Origin and History for leaflet

1787 as a term in botany; 1867 as a term in printing and publication; diminutive of leaf (n.)

A newspaperman asked the British authorities for a copy of the leaflets distributed in Germany by British airplanes. According to the London Daily Herald, his request was refused with the following answer: "Copies are not given out, as they might fall into enemy hands." ["The Living Age" magazine, Sept. 1939-Feb. 1940]

leaflet in Science

leaflet

[lē′flĭt]

A small leaf or leaflike part, especially one of the blades or divisions of a compound leaf.