hell-for-leather 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of hell-for-leathernext
as in reckless
having or showing a lack of concern for the consequences of one's actions having been behind for most of the race, the stock car driver made a hell-for-leather dash to the finish

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hell-for-leather

2 of 2

adverb

ˈhel-fər-ˈle-ṯẖər How to pronounce hell-for-leather (audio)
as in quickly
with great speed we ran hell-for-leather out of that spooky house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hell-for-leather
Adverb
The plot thickens further when Bundle, driving hell-for-leather down a country lane, comes across someone lying in the middle of the road. — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell-for-leather
  1. reckless
  2. quickly
  3. daring
  4. fast
  5. daredevil
  6. rapidly
  7. quick
  8. swiftly
Adjective
  • The suspect, 30‑year‑old Trevion Mark of Fort Worth, was arrested nearby without incident and charged with reckless endangerment and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, according to DPS.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Mark was charged with reckless endangerment and evading arrest in a motor vehicle and booked into the Tarrant County Jail.
    — Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Definition of reckless
Adverb
  • Many managers may be heading in one direction, and then have to quickly pivot due to changing policies or technological disruptions.
    — Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Boston outfielder Nate Eaton and Mikolas being ejected.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of quickly
Adjective
  • Looking back to 2017, Pippa Middleton attended day seven of the championships in a daring look that deserves a second glance.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 29 June 2026
  • No genre of art requires more daring.
    — Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of daring
Adverb
  • In some cases, tech companies and developers in Georgia and elsewhere are going to great lengths to secure power — and to do so fast.
    — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • The move to allow Fable 5 back online represents the latest step in the federal government’s fast-evolving approach to regulating AI capabilities.
    — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 July 2026
Definition of fast
Adjective
  • Free climbing has been around for many years, but social media has brought the daredevil sport to global audiences and fueled a surge in popularity.
    — Ahmed Shawkat, CBS News, 15 June 2026
  • At this time, Moore says, aviation was considered a daredevil sport, and successful pilots, especially in France, became celebrities.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 May 2026
Definition of daredevil
Adverb
  • All of this spells the need for clear rules and for lawmakers and law enforcement to catch up with this rapidly changing transportation.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
  • Its tendency to rapidly reproduce, forming dense colonies on underwater surfaces, can clog pipes, pumps and critical water infrastructure while disrupting local ecosystems.
    — Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of rapidly
Adverb
  • There are easier ways to do things these days; computers and plug-ins could capture these sounds much quicker.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026
  • Best of all, the material is quick-drying, so your table will always be ready to host, no matter the weather.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
Definition of quick
Adverb
  • Aggressive counter-pressing is also a defining feature, with teams swiftly attempting to recover possession high up the pitch, and successful sides regaining the ball faster.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • That would add $627 million to the cost of the overall deal each quarter, or roughly $7 million per day, creating even more of a financial incentive for Paramount to get the deal done swiftly.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Definition of swiftly

Browse Nearby Words

hellfires
hell-for-leather
hellhole
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hell-for-leather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell-for-leather. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hell-for-leather

Nglish: Translation of hell-for-leather for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All