leastways

American

[leest-wayz] / ˈlistˌweɪz /

adverb

Dialect.

at least; at any rate; leastwise.

leastways British

/ ˈliːstˌweɪz /

adverb

informal at least; anyway; at any rate

"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

Etymology

Origin of leastways

First recorded in 1350–1400, leastways is from Middle English leest weye. See least, -ways

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:

leastways

“Ah didn’t aim tuh let on tuh yuh ’bout it, leastways not right away, but Ah ruther be shot wid tacks than fuh you tuh act wid me lak you is right now.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

‘I saw him, Mr. Butterbur,’ said a hobbit; ‘or leastways I didn’t see him, if you take my meaning. He just vanished into thin air, in a manner of speaking.’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

‘Go now? What’s your little game? It isn’t time yet. It can’t be tea-time even, leastways not in decent places where there is tea-time.’

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Hope I am, sir; and as to my liver, I don’t believe I’ve got one, leastways I can’t say as I knows I’ve one.

From Dutch the Diver A Man's Mistake by George Manville Fenn

I guess that's about the regular thing," he answered, "leastways, in this state.

From Loaded Dice by Ellery H. Clark

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023