lief

[ leef ]

/ lif /

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adverb

gladly; willingly: I would as lief go south as not.

adjective Archaic.

willing; desirous.

dear; beloved; treasured.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM lief

liefly, adverb

Words nearby lief

lied, lieder, Liederkranz, lie detector, lie-down, lief, Lie Flat, liege, liegeman, Liegnitz, Lie group

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use lief in a sentence

“They learn about what it is that drove them to these lengths,” says Lief.
Can Sex-Addiction Rehab Save Tiger?|Abby Ellin|December 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
For my part I would as lief sail back to Virginia and let them fight out their own quarrel.
The Light That Lures|Percy Brebner
It is impossible for a young girl of right instincts to say, "Oh, I would just as lief be an unclean person!"
The American Country Girl|Martha Foote Crow
"I'd as lief be neighbours with a vixen," he said, nevertheless making place for her between him and Miriam.
Sons and Lovers|David Herbert Lawrence

O my lief meskin, de love tol you be so groot, dat it bring me out my bed voor you.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 10 (of 15)|Various
Hes better now, but time was when Dick would just as lief never wash from early morn till dewy eve as Father used to say.
Betty Lee, Freshman|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)

British Dictionary definitions for lief

lief

/ (liːf) /

adverb

rare gladly; willinglyI'd as lief go today as tomorrow

adjective

archaic

ready; glad
dear; beloved

Word Origin for lief

Old English leof; related to lufu love

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