leash

American  

[leesh] / liʃ /

noun

1. a chain, strap, etc., for controlling or leading a dog or other animal; lead.

2. check; curb; restraint: a tight leash on one's subordinates.

   to keep one's temper in leash;

   a tight leash on one's subordinates.

3. Hunting. a brace and a half, as of foxes or hounds.

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verb (used with object)

1. to secure, control, or restrain by or as if by a leash.

   to leash water power for industrial use.

2. to bind together by or as if by a leash; connect; link; associate.

leash British  

/ liːʃ /

noun

1. a line or rope used to walk or control a dog or other animal; lead

2. something resembling this in function

   he kept a tight leash on his emotions

3. hunting three of the same kind of animal, usually hounds, foxes, or hares

4. eagerly impatient to begin something

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verb

1. (tr) to control or secure by or as if by a leash

Etymology

Origin of leash

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English lesh, variant of lece, lese, from Old French laisse; lease ¹

Example Sentences

She said she saw Athena wrapping her leash around an agent’s leg and barking frantically.

From Los Angeles Times

And he keeps a tight leash on a group of contestants who operate at various degrees of charming.

From The Wall Street Journal

I feel like a sideshow attraction being led in on a leash.

From Literature

Luckily the works themselves keep slipping this interpretive leash.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s a leash — and everyone holding it just realized they’re on the wrong end.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• cord
• rope
• strap
• tether