lief
Americanadverb
adjective
-
willing; desirous.
-
dear; beloved; treasured.
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lief
First recorded before 900; Middle English leef, Old English lēof; cognate with Dutch lief, German lieb, Old Norse ljufr, Gothic liufs; akin to love
Vocabulary lists containing lief
"The Crucible," Vocabulary from the play
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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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.
You don’t get anywhere in lief without a bit of pain sometimes.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 7, 2015
Last February Rob Godfrey went on re lief, was put to teaching WPA art classes.
From Time Magazine Archive
In perfect fairness I would say to the Senator I would just as lief Willkie should be on the committee as the Senator from New Hampshire.
From Time Magazine Archive
"What do you think of this passage?" he scornfully asked a Shakespearean enthusiast: " 'I would as lief be thrust through a quicket hedge as cry Pooh to a callow throstle.'"
From Time Magazine Archive
What if they had all been instructed: You may lief His mind reeled.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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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.
