leash

noun

ˈlēsh 

1

a

: a line for leading or restraining an animal

b

: something that restrains : the state of being restrained

keeping spending on a tight leash

2

a

: a set of three animals (such as greyhounds, foxes, bucks, or hares)

b

: a set of three

leash transitive verb

Examples of leash in a Sentence

put a dog on a leash

Dogs must be kept on a leash while in the park.

The dog saw a cat and was straining at its leash trying to get at it.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Pampered Paws Program ups the ante with in-room dining, daily walks, a letter at arrival, leashes and collars, and the option to take excursions or be driven around by a chauffeur. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026

In postwar Communist Poland, under the auspices of the Ministry of Art and Culture, designers were pretty much let off the leash. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026

That rhetoric has been replaced by a basic long-leash Republicanism — a shift that may be unsurprising with a dealmaker in the Oval Office, but has disappointed progressives and hardcore populists and sent legal sherpas scrambling to freshen their advice. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026

Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome. —Ramona Sentinel, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lees, leshe, from Anglo-French *lesche, lesse, probably from lesser to leave, let go

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing leash

• leash law
• strain at the leash

Rhymes for leash

• quiche
• pastiche
• unleash

Kids Definition

leash

noun

ˈlēsh 

1

: a line for leading or controlling an animal

2

: something that restrains : the state of being restrained

kept spending on a tight leash

leash verb