leash

American  

[leesh] / liʃ /

noun

leashes plural

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)

leashes, present (3rd person singular) leashed, past participle, past leashing present participle

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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• leashes
  plural

Participles

• leashing
  present
• leashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• leash
  simple
• leashes
  simple
• have leashed
  perfect
• has leashed
  perfect
• am leashing
  progressive
• are leashing
  progressive
• is leashing
  progressive
• have been leashing
  perfect progressive
• has been leashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• leashed
  simple
• had leashed
  perfect
• was leashing
  progressive
• were leashing
  progressive
• had been leashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will leash
  simple
• will have leashed
  perfect
• will be leashing
  progressive
• will have been leashing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of leash

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

Explanation

Dog owners who live in the city need a leash, a rope or cord attached to the dog's collar that helps his owner keep him safe and restrained. When you walk a dog, you hold his leash to guide him along the sidewalk and keep him from chasing squirrels into busy streets. The word leash is also useful for describing a figurative kind of guide or restraint: "The teachers at that school keep their students on a short leash when they take field trips downtown." The students aren't on actual leashes, but they are constrained. Leash comes from the Old French word laissier, or "loose."

Example Sentences

She added there had been "no safety briefing" beforehand, none of the participants had the right type of leash for their boards in these conditions and Lloyd did not have any next of kin details.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

How long of a financial leash should parents extend to their children to pursue a long shot?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

“The ice is really thin. The leash is very tight,” said Dan Morgan, portfolio manager and analyst at Synovus Trust, which owns shares of OpenAI partners like Oracle, Broadcom and Advanced Micro Devices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Sri Lanka's police kennels department was mobilised to ensure that local street dogs did not attack Aloka, who was led on a leash held by an army commando.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

She was really worried and you couldn’t blame her, so I wasn’t too surprised when she showed up with Howard on a leash.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

Related Words

• cord
• rope
• strap
• tether