leash Definition
leash (lēs̸h)
noun
- a cord, strap, etc. by which a dog or other animal is held in check
- Hunting a set of three, as of hounds; brace and a half
Etymology: ME lese < OFr lesse, length of cord, leash < laissier, to let, permit < laxare, to lighten, relieve < laxus, loose: see lax
transitive verb
- to attach a leash to
- to check or control by or as by a leash
leash Idioms
hold in leash
to control; curb; restrain
strain at the leash
to be impatient to have freedom from restraint
leash Synonyms
leash Usage Examples
Object
dog: Becoming more then a little afraid at the unknown creatures presence the couple leashed the dogs and left the area rapidly.
Converse of object
- hold: They even fought to hold the leash, I'm very proud to say.
- put: Do not put the leash with the animal, either inside or attached to the outside of the kennel.
- keep: Beach Danger The Coastguard warns dog owners to keep a tight leash on their pets.
- use: I use a 6 foot nylon leash for training my dog.
- attach: A small dog on a leash attached to the saddle saunters alongside the horse.
- have: All I could think was, no matter where I put this thing, I'll have an electronic leash around my neck.
Adjective modifier
- tight: JL: He kept him on a very tight leash.
- short: He will most likely take steps to keep his party's MPs on a shorter leash from now on.
- long: This is the sense in which we humans are the robots of our genes, and are held on a very long leash.
Preposition: on
dog: Lisa put the leash on this dog, and the dog immediately hugged the floor.
Modifies a noun
- system: Aluminum control bar comes complete with wrist leash safety system.
- training: Good behavior in one respect - say leash training - makes good behavior in other respects much easier.
- safety: Aluminum control bar comes complete with wrist leash safety system.
- attachment: There's a wrist leash attachment point, elasticated wrists, link mini buckles and synthetic leather reinforcements.
Preposition: in
public: They always had to be muzzled and leashed in public.
Noun used with modifier
- wrist: Aluminum control bar comes complete with wrist leash safety system.
- dog: I saw a British cartoon in which Blair opens a gift box from Bush to find a dog leash!
- loop: We banned them here years ago in favor of the loop leash.
- surf: Always wear a surf leash to prevent you from losing your surfboard ( or bodyboard ).
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