less common spelling of leech
1
: either vertical edge of a square sail
2
: the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail
leached; leaching; leaches
1
: to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid
leach out alkali from ashes
2
: to subject to the action of percolating (see percolate sense 1a) liquid (such as water) in order to separate the soluble components
3
a
: to remove (nutritive or harmful elements) from soil by percolation (see percolate sense 1a)
soil leached of its salts by torrential rains
b
: to draw out or remove as if by percolation
all meaning has been leached from my life
: to pass out or through by percolation
Nutrients leached out of the soil with rainwater.
Examples of leach in a Sentence
Verb
Even a small amount of rain can leach the toxic material from the soil.
Certain kinds of treated wood can leach chemicals into the soil.
The chemical eventually leaches away from the soil.
Recent Examples on the Web
E. J. Antoni, National Review, 21 Oct. 2023
There are concerns, for instance, that seawater could corrode pipes and leach heavy metals into the water supply, said Holly Michael, a hydrogeologist at the University of Delaware and director of the Delaware Environmental Institute.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Sep. 2023
On top of being a huge source of emissions, excess nitrogen leaches into waterways, causing algal blooms.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
The monument, situated along the Arizona Strip, aims to protect the Grand Canyon from more uranium mining, which Native Americans said would despoil many sacred ancestral sites, leach into aquifers and threaten water supplies.
—Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
With the goal of raising that money to invest in startups across Ohio, leach will run the daily operations once that 500 million goal is reached.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 13 July 2023
But experts say rising sea levels and groundwater will prevent leach fields from filtering sewage in many coastal lots.
—Audrey McAvoy, Anchorage Daily News, 10 July 2023
The used ends leach nicotine and heavy metals into the environment, kill marine animals, and damage plant growth.
—Cassie Werber, Quartz, 13 June 2023
Fats and oils from food leach into the sides of an unglazed ceramic pot and the traces remain locked in the clay long after the meal and the people who ate it have been forgotten.
—Jillian Mock, Discover Magazine, 25 Sep. 2019
Megan Christie, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2023
In other not-great news for saving water, there’s a growing body of research finding that fake grass can leach dangerous PFAS chemicals into water supplies, prompting California to pass a new law allowing cities to ban artificial turf, as CalMatters’ Shreya Agrawal reports.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023
The upper echelons of society move through life seemingly without repercussions by leaching off the powerless.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023
Then, as volcanism continuing in (and especially under) the caldera, hot fluids come up through faults and fractures, leaching even more lithium and keeping parts of the sediment warm.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2023
The problem is that the White Sands seeds are from aquatic plants, which when alive could absorb carbon from very old sources in the lake that had not been exposed to the atmosphere for thousands of years, like groundwater leaching through rocks.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023
That decision is apparently leaching support among independents, and some Republicans, away from Trump.
—Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
In this case, chemicals can leach from the plastic into the water.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
The old Blackbird Mine, originating in the 1890s and operating intermittently until the 1960s, created acid mine drainage and leached heavy metals including cobalt, copper and arsenic.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
See More
Noun
Landlords are leaches that HORDE THE SUPPLY of housing.
—E. J. Antoni, National Review, 21 Oct. 2023
There are concerns, for instance, that seawater could corrode pipes and leach heavy metals into the water supply, said Holly Michael, a hydrogeologist at the University of Delaware and director of the Delaware Environmental Institute.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Sep. 2023
On top of being a huge source of emissions, excess nitrogen leaches into waterways, causing algal blooms.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
The monument, situated along the Arizona Strip, aims to protect the Grand Canyon from more uranium mining, which Native Americans said would despoil many sacred ancestral sites, leach into aquifers and threaten water supplies.
—Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
With the goal of raising that money to invest in startups across Ohio, leach will run the daily operations once that 500 million goal is reached.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 13 July 2023
But experts say rising sea levels and groundwater will prevent leach fields from filtering sewage in many coastal lots.
—Audrey McAvoy, Anchorage Daily News, 10 July 2023
The used ends leach nicotine and heavy metals into the environment, kill marine animals, and damage plant growth.
—Cassie Werber, Quartz, 13 June 2023
Fats and oils from food leach into the sides of an unglazed ceramic pot and the traces remain locked in the clay long after the meal and the people who ate it have been forgotten.
—Jillian Mock, Discover Magazine, 25 Sep. 2019
Verb
Lead and Legionella bacteria leached into the tap water of nearly 100,000 Flint residents between 2014 and 2015.
—Megan Christie, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2023
In other not-great news for saving water, there’s a growing body of research finding that fake grass can leach dangerous PFAS chemicals into water supplies, prompting California to pass a new law allowing cities to ban artificial turf, as CalMatters’ Shreya Agrawal reports.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023
The upper echelons of society move through life seemingly without repercussions by leaching off the powerless.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023
Then, as volcanism continuing in (and especially under) the caldera, hot fluids come up through faults and fractures, leaching even more lithium and keeping parts of the sediment warm.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2023
The problem is that the White Sands seeds are from aquatic plants, which when alive could absorb carbon from very old sources in the lake that had not been exposed to the atmosphere for thousands of years, like groundwater leaching through rocks.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023
That decision is apparently leaching support among independents, and some Republicans, away from Trump.
—Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
In this case, chemicals can leach from the plastic into the water.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
The old Blackbird Mine, originating in the 1890s and operating intermittently until the 1960s, created acid mine drainage and leached heavy metals including cobalt, copper and arsenic.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
leach vessel through which water is passed to extract lye
Dictionary Entries Near leach
Cite this Entry
“Leach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leach. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
leach
verbˈlēch
: to pass a liquid through to carry off the soluble components
also
: to dissolve out by such means
leach minerals from rocks
Medical Definition
leach
transitive verb1
: to subject to the action of percolating liquid (as water) in order to separate the soluble components
2
: to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid
: to pass out or through by percolation
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