leech
noun
any bloodsucking or carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm of the class Hirudinea, certain freshwater species of which were formerly much used in medicine for bloodletting.
leeching
-
present participleof leech.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
By claiming to believe in demons, the vice president is leeching onto another youth trend, and probably getting a hefty boost in social media algorithms for it.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2026
These folks were, in fact, the flimsy remnants of Cuomo’s actual base: high-status opportunists leeching off one of their own.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2025
In the meantime, Millie told the inquiry "confusion, frustration and anxiety... was leeching into my home".
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2025
A trematode has a very specific life cycle, leeching onto three hosts that include a freshwater snail, a fish and then a bird or human who ate the infected fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025
It is an antique term for physician, and also for the aquatic worm sanguisugus, used for leeching.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
