leash
Americannoun
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leashes
plural
noun
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a line or rope used to walk or control a dog or other animal; lead
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something resembling this in function
he kept a tight leash on his emotions
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hunting three of the same kind of animal, usually hounds, foxes, or hares
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eagerly impatient to begin something
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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leashsimple
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leashessimple
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have leashedperfect
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has leashedperfect
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am leashingprogressive
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are leashingprogressive
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is leashingprogressive
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have been leashingperfect progressive
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has been leashingperfect progressive
Past
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leashedsimple
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had leashedperfect
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was leashingprogressive
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were leashingprogressive
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had been leashingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing leash
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He outran his leash, unique to him and not like any other president’s, both in what it permits and what it forbids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
He never forgave Dewey’s people for keeping him on a leash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Two German shepherds on a loose leash, maybe off leash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“You are dealing with imperfect information. So the mindset is to take down the exposure if it is the beginning of the end. We have a short leash on these stocks,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
He walked up, reached for Cruz’s collar, and unhooked it from the leash.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
In everyday use, it has held keys and dog leashes.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
At LupinePet, which makes dog collars and leashes using materials sourced from around the world, costs have risen because of tariffs and fuel surcharges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Not many indoor cats like leashes or traversing the great outdoors with their person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
He muscled it into the cage elevator, leashes in hand, the machine balanced against his hip like a prize wrested from fate.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025
A young woman with two golden retrievers on tangled leashes gives us a small wave as she passes our bench.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
A German Jew in 1920s Hamburg, Walther Laqueur stands on his home’s front steps with his sleek Doberman leashed and ready for a walk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Dogs should also remain leashed and under control around trees and shrubs where birds may be nesting, and residents also should not fly drones near wildlife.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
But because the leashed dog dispatched another, whatever the reason apparently, or perhaps because the guy hired someone like Alina Habba for his attorney, the dog went down.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2024
Many human-bear interactions could be avoided if people took basic precautions, such as not leaving food out, keeping their pets inside or leashed, and storing trash in bear-proof receptacles.
From National Geographic ● Sep. 25, 2023
He could hear the barely leashed anger in her voice.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
In July, White House officials said they were attempting new leashing and training techniques on Commander, following a rash of attacks on personnel.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2023
I would feel differently, if say, you were in a public park that required leashing and the dog that attacked Lulu was off-leash.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2023
He envisions having informational screenings playing in the waiting room, building on awareness programs the community is already doing on best practices like leashing and kenneling to keep pets from harm.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
Last week, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez sponsored the "Responsible Dog Ownership Act," which would create stronger laws related to the leashing and fencing of dogs.
From Fox News ● Mar. 30, 2021
For a time they are stayed, while once more leashing the hound, and setting it upon the scent.
From The Death Shot A Story Retold by Mayne Reid
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
