noun

leech

LEECH

noun

A blood-sucking worm that lives in water, sometimes used medicinally.

"A leech attached itself to his leg while wading through the pond."

"Doctors once used leeches to draw blood from patients."

A person who takes advantage of others without giving anything back.

"He's such a leech, always borrowing money he never repays."

verb

To drain something, such as money or resources, without contributing in return.

"His cousin kept leeching off the family's generosity."

How to Use Leech

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA parasitic worm, or — as an insult — someone who freeloads off others.

Common pairings

leech off someone a social leech

Word Forms

leeched past tense, leeched past tense, leeches plural, leeches plural, leeches plural, Leeches plural, leeches singular, leeches singular

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A _____ attached itself to his leg while wading through the pond.

Etymology

From Old English lǣċe, "blood-sucking worm" — the same root gave Old English the word for "physician," since leeches were once a common medical treatment.

Synonyms

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sponger bloodsucker vampire

Related Words

vampire bloodsucker

Rhymes for leech

beech speech breech Cheech beseech screech

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