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
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Those who predicted a doomed future for all of humanity called us addicts and criminals, leeches and slime (and way worse things) because we were detested, shouted at, dragged by our arms across bedrooms and public sporting events.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The horror film takes the world of elite sports to disturbing new extremes, filled with brutal ambition, blood-sucking leeches, and hard-hitting serves.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 28 Oct. 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
The ancestors of leeches were unlikely to have sucked blood.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Those who predicted a doomed future for all of humanity called us addicts and criminals, leeches and slime (and way worse things) because we were detested, shouted at, dragged by our arms across bedrooms and public sporting events.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The horror film takes the world of elite sports to disturbing new extremes, filled with brutal ambition, blood-sucking leeches, and hard-hitting serves.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 28 Oct. 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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And there is a risk of the parasites becoming dormant for years before reactivating and destroying a new cornea.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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There's no shortage of parasites eating away at her sanity.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leeches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leeches. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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