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
Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
In an effort to save Cathy, doctors place leeches over her body in hopes of removing the bad blood.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Even in modern medicine, the practice isn’t obsolete; doctors sometimes apply live leeches after reconstructive surgery to keep blood from clotting in flaps of tissue.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 21 Jan. 2026
The ancestors of leeches were unlikely to have sucked blood.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Once the workplace of Revolutionary War figure General Hugh Mercer, the recreated 18th-century pharmacy and doctor’s office is filled with tinctures, leeches, and surgical tools, all explained by costumed interpreters.
—Madeline Weinfield, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
The small-mouth bass go for the leeches, too.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 23 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
Swedish scientists have created bioelectronics in live zebra fish and leeches with this new technique.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Mar. 2023
Noun
Dysmenorrhea might be treated by placing leeches on the abdomen to increase blood loss.
—Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
In an effort to save Cathy, doctors place leeches over her body in hopes of removing the bad blood.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Even in modern medicine, the practice isn’t obsolete; doctors sometimes apply live leeches after reconstructive surgery to keep blood from clotting in flaps of tissue.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 21 Jan. 2026
The ancestors of leeches were unlikely to have sucked blood.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Once the workplace of Revolutionary War figure General Hugh Mercer, the recreated 18th-century pharmacy and doctor’s office is filled with tinctures, leeches, and surgical tools, all explained by costumed interpreters.
—Madeline Weinfield, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
The small-mouth bass go for the leeches, too.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 23 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
Swedish scientists have created bioelectronics in live zebra fish and leeches with this new technique.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leeches
parasites
Noun
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Crustaceans are nibblers of plants, scavengers of carrion, and parasites of larger animals.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
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Further, co-author Thomas Wierzba, a professor of infectious diseases at Wake Forest School of Medicine, explains that ETVAX reduced moderate-to-severe diarrhea from viruses, bacteria or other parasites by 21 percent.—
Sahas Mehra,
Scientific American,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leeches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leeches. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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