leash

noun

ˈlēsh 

1

a

: a line for leading or restraining an animal

b

: something that restrains : the state of being restrained

keeping spending on a tight leash

2

a

: a set of three animals (such as greyhounds, foxes, bucks, or hares)

b

: a set of three

leash transitive verb

Examples of leash in a Sentence

put a dog on a leash

Dogs must be kept on a leash while in the park.

The dog saw a cat and was straining at its leash trying to get at it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pack a picnic, bring your pup (on a leash, of course), and prepare for an Instagram takeover. —Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026

Days after Mayor Andre Dickens completed a successful push to put the city’s inspector general on a shorter leash last year, five of the watchdog agency’s top staffers made a plea to state government and the FBI. —Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 20 Mar. 2026

To keep coyotes and their pups safe, keep dogs on leashes during walks and don’t investigate holes that could potentially be coyote dens. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026

That’s a tighter leash than international Polymarket users face, where gamblers can roll the dice using anonymous crypto wallets. —Joe Wilkins Published Mar 19, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lees, leshe, from Anglo-French *lesche, lesse, probably from lesser to leave, let go

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing leash

• leash law
• strain at the leash

Rhymes for leash

• quiche
• pastiche
• unleash

Kids Definition

leash

noun

ˈlēsh 

1

: a line for leading or controlling an animal

2

: something that restrains : the state of being restrained

kept spending on a tight leash

leash verb