as in parasites
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
whenever the gang went out for pizza, the leech in the group always had an excuse for not paying his fair share
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Recent Examples of leeches
Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Her book Saving Fish from Drowning, from drowning features a number of leeches.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
They get thrown into this lurid serial killer manhunt of an elusive murderer who collects body parts and uses leeches for insane reasons.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
The small-mouth bass go for the leeches, too.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Her book Saving Fish from Drowning, from drowning features a number of leeches.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
They get thrown into this lurid serial killer manhunt of an elusive murderer who collects body parts and uses leeches for insane reasons.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leeches
parasites
Noun
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There, all animals undergo full medical evaluations, including testing for diseases, worms, and parasites.—
Meg Dunn,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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The medication used to treat some parasites has also been used to treat COVID-19.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leeches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leeches. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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