leather

1 of 2

noun

leath·​er ˈle-t͟hər 

1

: animal skin dressed for use

2

: the flap of the ear of a dog see dog illustration

3

: something wholly or partly made of leather

leather adjective

leatherlike

ˈle-t͟hər-ˌlīk 

adjective

leather

2 of 2

verb

leathered; leathering ˈle-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈlet͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1

: to cover with leather

2

: to beat with a strap : thrash

Synonyms

Noun

• skin
• coat
• hide

Verb

• hide
• whip
• cowhide
• slash
• tan
• rawhide
• lash
• flick
• birch
• horsewhip
• switch

Examples of leather in a Sentence

Noun

the company claims to use only the finest leathers for its shoes and handbags

this jacket was made from real leather

Verb

an expert rider will find almost no reason to leather a horse

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her final five looks referenced the Terminator franchise and were incredibly beautiful, a mixture of flashy metallic leather and luxurious-looking knits that the judges deemed more worthy of the win than Ethan’s fantastical Gothic collection and Jesus’s maximalist Barbie-pink outfits. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025

Making a U-turn, Akerlund ventures to Botswana on the southern tip of Africa to visit a tribe of metalheads who sport leather jackets and cowboy hats and roar around on motorcycles blasting Metallica. —Paul Liberatore, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025

Verb

Heeled, bubbled, square-toed, strapped or leathered out with metal accents like Longoria’s, the shape is proving its range. —Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2025

Lucy Bronze’s icon status was reaffirmed throughout England’s 2025 European Championship-winning campaign — from strapping up her own leg in extra time to her absolutely leathering home a penalty in the quarter-final shootout win against Sweden. —Ali Rampling, New York Times, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English lether, from Old English lether-; akin to Old High German leder leather, Old Irish lethar

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leather

• buff leather
• glove leather
• hell-for-leather
• kid leather
• leather-lunged
• napa leather
• patent leather
• Russia leather
• saddle leather
• shoe-leather
• stirrup leather

Rhymes for leather

• aether
• gether
• heather
• nether
• tether
• weather
• wether
• whether
• altogether
• together

Kids Definition

leather

noun

leath·​er

ˈlet͟h-ər

1

: animal skin prepared for use

2

: something entirely or partly made of leather