leather
Americannoun
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the skin of an animal, with the hair removed, prepared for use by tanning or a similar process designed to preserve it against decay and make it pliable or supple when dry.
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an article made of this material.
adjective
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pertaining to, made of, or resembling leather.
leather processing; leather upholstery.
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Slang. catering to or patronized by customers who typically wear leather clothing, often as a means of signaling interest in or preference for sadomasochistic sexual activity.
verb (used with object)
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leathers,
present (3rd person singular)
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leathered,
past participle, past
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leathering
present participle
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to cover or furnish with leather.
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Informal. to beat with a leather strap.
noun
-
-
a material consisting of the skin of an animal made smooth and flexible by tanning, removing the hair, etc
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( as modifier )
leather goods
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-
(plural) leather clothes, esp as worn by motorcyclists
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the flap of a dog's ear
verb
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to cover with leather
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to whip with or as if with a leather strap
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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leathersimple
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leatherssimple
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have leatheredperfect
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has leatheredperfect
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am leatheringprogressive
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are leatheringprogressive
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is leatheringprogressive
-
have been leatheringperfect progressive
-
has been leatheringperfect progressive
Past
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leatheredsimple
-
had leatheredperfect
-
was leatheringprogressive
-
were leatheringprogressive
-
had been leatheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leather
before 1000; Middle English lether, Old English lether- (in compounds); cognate with Dutch, German leder, Old Norse lethr, MIr lethar skin, leather, Welsh lledr, Middle Breton lezr leather
Explanation
Leather is a material that's made from animal skin and used to make shoes, bags, furniture covers, and many other things. You might be too hot if you wear your leather pants to the beach. Most expensive, well-made shoes are made of leather — although it's pliable and easy to shape, it's also extremely strong and long-lasting. To make leather, the skin of an animal is stripped of all fur or hair, and then tanned, or treated to keep it from cracking and drying. The leather collars on early US Marines' uniforms led to their nickname being "leathernecks."
Vocabulary lists containing leather
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:
Then Miguel Rojas, who’d exit the game in the eighth inning mid-at-bat with what the Dodgers called low back pain, hit a line drive that found leather to end the inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
It has been selling an assortment of other core ’90s wardrobe staples like baby tees, in addition to slip dresses and leather jackets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Zips were used to modulate the length of skirts, they ran across leather jackets and down a flared blue pair of trousers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
A collection of early Oasis photos sold for £5,400 and a pair of leather shoes which once belonged to Noel Gallagher sold for £1,200.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
In the second box, I find a set of three knives wrapped in a leather pouch.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri marked her return to Fendi at Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, presenting a sensual and lightweight collection featuring "remodelled" furs and leathers crafted like lace.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Instead it was Southgate, clean-cut and fresh-faced, who stared out at the black leathers and bright hair and, speaking into the microphone, welcomed John Lydon and the band to the stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2024
A: Bottega Veneta uses incredible leathers, and I’ve done three or four videos on their beautiful products.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2024
Level up with more involved recipes like flavored jerkies or fruit leathers.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023
She was barefoot, with oiled hair, wearing Dothraki riding leathers and a painted vest given her as a bride gift.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
And while a leathered look is great for handbags, it’s not so great for faces.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2021
One tall, young and beautiful, one short and a little bit older, leathered up and toughened up.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 3, 2021
His: leathered and intimidating, as if he were staring down a predator he intends to harpoon.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 1, 2019
The audience, leathered and pierced, was there for the headliner; the night I went, Flash couldn't quite get his sync quite right, people got impatient and basically booed their glittered top hat bling offstage.
From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2016
The woman laughed, shook out her hair and waved a leathered hand in the air.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
We know he practised at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday after his opening win – seemingly testing out his playing arm by leathering some forehands - and also hit on Wednesday morning.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025
Angela Merkel takes a particularly personal beating, with the front page of Libero featuring a picture of Mario Balotelli leathering a ball featuring the superimposed face of the German chancellor.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 29, 2012
An eye-catching rally ensues on the first of those match points, with both men leathering groundstokes from the baseline and feathering drop shots at the net.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2010
To receive this commission, he had been summoned from the drawing-room, whose floor he was engaged in leathering to the requisite degree of lustre.
From Anthony Lyveden by Dornford Yates
But then you see as his short-windedness would be agen us, and it wouldn’t do to be allus drowning the high parts with so much leathering.
From Original Penny Readings A Series of Short Sketches by George Manville Fenn
Definitions 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.
