leech

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈlēch 

plural leeches

1

[from its former use by physicians for bleeding patients] : any of numerous carnivorous or bloodsucking usually freshwater annelid worms (class Hirudinea) that have typically a flattened lanceolate segmented body with a sucker at each end

2

: a hanger-on who seeks advantage or gain

a celebrity surrounded by leeches who only want his money

3

archaic : physician, surgeon

leechlike

ˈlēch-ˌlīk 

adjective

leech

2 of 3

verb

leeched; leeching; leeches

intransitive verb

: to attach oneself to a person as a leech

… she would leech on to him and drain the life out of him.

—W. L. Gresham

transitive verb

1

: to bleed by the use of leeches

2

: to drain the substance of : exhaust

… bankers who had always leeched them white.

—D. A. Munro

leech

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈlēch 

variants or less commonly leach

1

: either vertical edge of a square sail

2

: the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bloodsucker
• freeloader
• free rider
• hanger-on
• moocher
• parasite
• sponge
• sponger

Choose the Right Synonym for leech

parasite, sycophant, toady, leech, sponge mean a usually obsequious flatterer or self-seeker.

parasite applies to one who clings to a person of wealth, power, or influence or is useless to society.

a jet-setter with an entourage of parasites

sycophant adds to this a strong suggestion of fawning, flattery, or adulation.

a powerful prince surrounded by sycophants

toady emphasizes the servility and snobbery of the self-seeker.

cultivated leaders of society and became their toady

leech stresses persistence in clinging to or bleeding another for one's own advantage.

a leech living off his family and friends

sponge stresses the parasitic laziness, dependence, and opportunism of the cadger.

a shiftless sponge, always looking for a handout

Examples of leech in a Sentence

Noun (1)

whenever the gang went out for pizza, the leech in the group always had an excuse for not paying his fair share

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The uncertainty of global tariffs, exploding trade war with China, and endless attacks on European nations as parasitic leeches on the U.S. economy mark the demise of the trans-Atlantic alliance. —Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025

There are a handful of schools with about 2,000 children within a half-mile of ground zero of the toxic Tijuana River, the place where a swamp gas leeches out and spreads over our neighborhoods. —Tom Csanidi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025

Verb

Critics say the program has been too aggressive, leeching far too many dollars away from education, health care and other core services. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2025

How a disruptive summer of change in the boardroom, that struggle to comply with PSR, failing to sign a first-XI player, uncertainty in the dressing room, all leeched into early results. —Chris Waugh, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English leche, from Old English lǣce; akin to Old High German lāhhi physician

Noun (2)

Middle English leche; akin to Middle Low German līk boltrope

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1641, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leech

• medicinal leech

Rhymes for leech

• beach
• beech
• bleach
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leach
• meech
• peach
• preach
• reach

Kids Definition

leech

noun

ˈlēch

1

: any of numerous flesh-eating or bloodsucking usually flattened worms that are made up of segments and have a sucker at each end

2

: a person who clings like a leech to another person for advantage or gain : parasite

Etymology

Noun

Old English lǣce "doctor, physician"

Word Origin

In the early days of medicine, a physician, known in Old English as a lǣce, often drew blood from patients. These doctors acted in the belief that good health depended on a balance of four controlling fluids in the body. These four fluids were called humors, and one of them was blood. In those days physicians believed that a person became ill if there was too much blood or too little of any of the other humors in the body. Thus they used a controlled bleeding of the patient, or bloodletting as it was called, to balance the humors. An easy way to do this was to attach bloodsucking worms to the body. These worms are common in all parts of the world and especially in marshes and swamps. Today we call these sucking worms leeches, taking the name from those ancient doctors who used them so often.

Medical Definition

leech

1 of 2 noun

ˈlēch 

: any of numerous carnivorous or bloodsucking annelid worms that comprise the class Hirudinea, that typically have a flattened segmented lance-shaped body with well-marked external annulations, a sucker at each end, a mouth within the anterior sucker, and a large stomach with pouches of large capacity at the sides, that are hermaphroditic usually with direct development, and that occur chiefly in freshwater although a few are marine and some tropical forms are terrestrial see medicinal leech

leech

2 of 2 transitive verb

1

: to treat as a physician : cure, heal

2

: to bleed by the use of leeches