as in parasite
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
whenever the gang went out for pizza, the leech in the group always had an excuse for not paying his fair share
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of leech
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
The jungle, in the Truong Son range between Laos and the South China Sea, is home to tigers and leeches.
—
Nicole Young,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
First of all, most batteries contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other heavy metals that can be potentially toxic, and keeping them out of landfills ensures that these metals don’t leech out and pollute drinking water or the natural environment.
—
Katherine Gallagher,
Treehugger,
20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leech
Noun
Similar copper mines in Colorado have already demonstrated how sulfuric acid leeches into the water table as a result of this mining method.
—
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
The jungle, in the Truong Son range between Laos and the South China Sea, is home to tigers and leeches.
—
Nicole Young,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
And typically, Wegmann added, those units are occupied by productive, working adults, not layabouts or career criminals leeching off the system, as the old narrative goes.
—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
First of all, most batteries contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other heavy metals that can be potentially toxic, and keeping them out of landfills ensures that these metals don’t leech out and pollute drinking water or the natural environment.
—
Katherine Gallagher,
Treehugger,
20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leech
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leech
Noun
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Zach Raff, an assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at NC State, previously told the Observer the parasite poses low risk to North Carolina as long as infected animals are quarantined.
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It is caused by eating or drinking food contaminated with either bacteria, viruses, parasites or a harmful toxin.
Verb
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Use a clean microfiber cloth or sponge to wipe over the tile surface from top to bottom, focusing on areas where buildup is usually heavy, such as behind the stove.
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Dip a microfiber cloth or sponge in the solution.
Verb
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Scientists tracking humpbacks off the coast of Australia have captured rare footage that shows clutches of the freeloading fish peeling away from their host in what looks like a high-speed game of chicken, just moments before the whale breaches.
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The specter of freeloading corporations using more space, water, and energy for AI processing has defined the race for the 30th House of Delegates district, well outside DC.
Verb
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On top of that, Nico is also, quite obviously, just mooching off/clinging to Mindy because he got cut off by his family.
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The Netflix rep says there is no correlation between this change and people mooching off other people's accounts.
Cite this Entry
“Leech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leech. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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