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• leaf
  leaf

  noun

  one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.
• Leaf
  Leaf

  noun

  Munro 1905–76, U.S. author and illustrator of books for children.

leaf

¹ American  

[leef] / lif /

noun

• leaves
  plural

1. one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.

2. any similar or corresponding lateral outgrowth of a stem.

3. a petal.

   a rose leaf.

4. leaves collectively; foliage.

5. Bibliography. a unit generally comprising two printed, blank, or illustrated pages of a book, one on each side.

6. a thin sheet of metal.

   silver leaf.

7. a lamina or layer.

8. a sliding, hinged, or detachable flat part, as of a door or tabletop.

9. a section of a drawbridge.

10. a single strip of metal in a leaf spring.

11. a tooth of a small gear wheel, as of a pinion.

12. leaf fat.

13. Textiles. shaft.

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verb (used without object)

• leafs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leafed,
  past participle,  past
• leafing
  present participle

1. to put forth leaves.

2. to turn pages, especially quickly (usually followed bythrough ).

   to leaf through a book.

verb (used with object)

• leafs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leafed,
  past participle,  past
• leafing
  present participle

1. to thumb or turn, as the pages of a book or magazine, in a casual or cursory inspection of the contents.

idioms

1. in leaf, covered with foliage; having leaves.

   the pale green tint of the woods newly in leaf.

2. take a leaf out of / from someone's book, to follow someone's example; imitate.

   Some countries that took a leaf out of American industry's book are now doing very well for themselves.

3. turn over a new leaf, to begin anew; make a fresh start.

   Every New Year's we make resolutions to turn over a new leaf.

Leaf ² American  

[leef] / lif /

noun

1. Munro 1905–76, U.S. author and illustrator of books for children.

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leaf British  

/ liːf /

noun

1. the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants, usually consisting of a flat green blade attached to the stem directly or by a stalk

2. foliage collectively

3. (of shrubs, trees, etc) having a full complement of foliage leaves

4. one of the sheets of paper in a book

5. a hinged, sliding, or detachable part, such as an extension to a table

6. metal in the form of a very thin flexible sheet

   gold leaf

7. a foil or thin strip of metal in a composite material; lamina

8. short for leaf spring

9. the inner or outer wall of a cavity wall

10. a crop that is harvested in the form of leaves

11. a metal strip forming one of the laminations in a leaf spring

12. a slang word for marijuana

13. to imitate someone, esp in one particular course of action

14. to begin a new and improved course of behaviour

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verb

1. to turn (through pages, sheets, etc) cursorily

2. (intr) (of plants) to produce leaves

leaf Scientific  

/ lēf /

1. An appendage growing from the stem of a plant. Leaves are extremely variable in form and function according to species. For example, the needles of pine trees, the spines of cacti, and the bright red parts of the poinsettia plant are all leaves modified for different purposes. However, most leaves are flat and green and adapted to capturing sunlight and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. They consist of an outer tissue layer (the epidermis) through which water and gases are exchanged, a spongy inner layer of cells that contain chloroplasts, and veins that supply water and minerals and carry out food. Some leaves are simple, while others are compound, consisting of multiple leaflets. The flat part of the leaf, the blade, is often attached to the stem by a leafstalk.

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leaf More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing leaf

• quake in one's boots (like a leaf)
• take a leaf out of someone's book
• turn over a new leaf

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• leaflessness
  noun
• unleaf
  verb (used with object)
• leafless
  adjective
• leaflike
  adjective
• unleaflike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• leaves
  plural

Participles

• leafing
  present
• leafed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• leaf
  simple
• leafs
  simple
• have leafed
  perfect
• has leafed
  perfect
• am leafing
  progressive
• are leafing
  progressive
• is leafing
  progressive
• have been leafing
  perfect progressive
• has been leafing
  perfect progressive

Past

• leafed
  simple
• had leafed
  perfect
• was leafing
  progressive
• were leafing
  progressive
• had been leafing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will leaf
  simple
• will have leafed
  perfect
• will be leafing
  progressive
• will have been leafing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of leaf

First recorded before 900; Middle English leef, lef, Old English lēaf; cognate with Dutch loof, German Laub, Old Norse lauf, Gothic laufs

Explanation

A leaf is part of a plant that's usually green and attached to it by a stem or stalk. In the fall, the leaves of many trees turn various bright colors before falling to the ground. In the spring, trees grow new leaves. Ahhh, the circle of life. A plant's leaves are the organs that take part in photosynthesis, which brings it needed nutrients. From this botanical meaning comes another definition of leaf, "a sheet of printed paper or a page in a book." And when you leaf through a book, you turn its pages. You might also "tremble like a leaf," or shake with fear; or "turn over a new leaf," start a new part of your life with new resolutions or attitudes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leaf Leaf leaves leafs leafed leafing

Rather than relying on one gene to determine leaf shape, evolution appears to modify different parts of a larger genetic network.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

"There's no leaf to it, they don't get any nutritional quality from this rubbish."

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The coca leaf is an ancestral crop traditionally used by indigenous communities in teas and medicines.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Rhode Island’s Morticia, named for the Addams Family matriarch, spent much of its life as a single leaf stalk with multiple leaflets before going dormant, leaving what looked like a big pot of dirt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

I reach out to run my fingers along the smooth ti leaf and realize I found it.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

“They are all looking for bypasses,” Leaf, the former senior State Department official, said of Arab Gulf states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

"Sales are taking much longer and it is proving increasingly difficult to generate commitment," said Jeremy Leaf, a estate agent in north London.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

For EV-curious buyers, only the Chevrolet Bolt and Nissan Leaf come close in price.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Because the newly recognized Tokara Leaf Warbler appears to be at least as rare as the Ijima's Leaf Warbler, the researchers recommend that both species receive Vulnerable status.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

“Men should not go wandering in this place,” Leaf warned them.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who leaves office next year, has stayed above the fray.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Bothwell recommends standing near a tree as the eclipse can create dozens of crescent-shaped images on the ground as light shines through the gaps between the leaves — an effect similar to...

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

But when Tony leaves for the day and is left to his own devices in Provincetown, the movie falls hard into all of the trite trappings of your average biopic.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

In the novel, musician Tyler Sinclair leaves home at 18, names his band after the town, gets famous and never looks back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

A flower with an impossible number of petals and leaves.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

He leafs through a paperback copy of “Chocolate for a Woman’s Heart” from a nearby bookshelf.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2023

At his seaside home in Sonoma County, he leafs through a binder filled with his research, including two early papers that have been cited an astonishing number of times by other researchers.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2022

Walking with Gregory6 in bare treed October ash woods—winds blowing brown sere leafs at feet—talking of dead Jack—the sky an old familiar place with fragrant eyebrow clouds passing overhead in Fall Current—

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 20, 2019

The barely rustling leafs almost spoiled the effect.

From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2019

I spit the dirt and leafs out of my mouth and told him, “I’m sorry, Mr. Leroy, I didn’t know he was gonna steal your money, I swear I didn’t know, sir!”

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

At the airport, I leafed through the collection of mid-1800s botanical illustrations, unable to imagine a more appropriate souvenir.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

Back at my tiny Airbnb above a Chinese supermarket, I leafed through it.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2024

It’s just a 5-foot skinny stick now, but it has leafed out and is so beautiful and full of promise.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

Standing in the chill before the courthouse opened, Macias leafed through the petition detailing her husband’s psychiatric history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2024

He sat on the floor and leafed quickly through the reproductions.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Spend enough time cooking — or leafing through cookbooks in bed — and you notice certain ingredients keep reaching for one another.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Shortly after opening time on a recent morning, the Kettering store already had a number of middle-aged customers milling about the space leafing through magazines—yes, it has those—or asking for advice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Leo Kelly—a devout Christian Iowan who was seen ascending the Senate dais, leafing through sensitive documents, and praying in the chamber—described it as “a blessing.”

From Slate ● May 28, 2026

Trees only delay leafing after actual infestations, which prevents insects from adapting to the change over time.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

The barkers were all interesting guys, poets manques, most of them, and spent their time off in City Lights Bookstore, leafing through New Directions paperbacks.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• frond
• needle
• petal
• stalk