leech

Everyday

1. A small worm that lives in water or wet places and sucks blood from animals and people. tree →
2. (informal, rude) A person who uses other people to get money or help and gives nothing back. tree →
3. (verb) To slowly take something away from someone or something: the cold leeched the warmth from his hands. tree →
4. (verb, informal) To use others for your own gain: he leeches off his friends. tree →
5. In old stories, a leech was another name for a doctor. tree →

In the lessons

In science, leeches are animals with soft bodies and suckers, found in ponds and rainforests; doctors long ago used them to take blood, and some still use them today for special treatments. In everyday talk calling someone a «leech» is an insult meaning they sponge off others. Phrases: leech off someone, cling like a leech.

Examples

• A leech stuck to my leg when I walked through the swamp. tree →
• Leeches have suckers at both ends of their bodies. tree →
• Do not pull a leech off hard; ask an adult to help. tree →
• He is such a leech, always asking to borrow money. tree →
• Stop leeching off your brother and buy your own snacks. tree →
• Some hospitals still use leeches to help wounds heal. tree →
• The damp leeched the colour out of the old poster. tree →
• She clung to me like a leech all day. tree →
• His master, sending for a leech, asked his advice. tree →

Note

Plural: leeches (add -es after ch). Do not confuse with «leach» (when liquid washes chemicals out of soil), which sounds the same (homophone). A leech is not an insect; it is a kind of worm.