leash

[ leesh ]
See synonyms for leash on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a chain, strap, etc., for controlling or leading a dog or other animal; lead.

  2. check; curb; restraint: to keep one's temper in leash; a tight leash on one's subordinates.

  1. Hunting. a brace and a half, as of foxes or hounds.

verb (used with object)
  1. to secure, control, or restrain by or as if by a leash: to leash water power for industrial use.

  2. to bind together by or as if by a leash; connect; link; associate.

Origin of leash

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English lesh, variant of lece, lese, from Old French laisse; see lease1

Words Nearby leash

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use leash in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for leash

leash

/ (liːʃ) /


noun
  1. a line or rope used to walk or control a dog or other animal; lead

  2. something resembling this in function: he kept a tight leash on his emotions

  1. hunting three of the same kind of animal, usually hounds, foxes, or hares

  2. straining at the leash eagerly impatient to begin something

verb
  1. (tr) to control or secure by or as if by a leash

Origin of leash

1
C13: from Old French laisse, from laissier to loose (hence, to let a dog run on a leash), ultimately from Latin laxus lax

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