leach
1 of 2noun
less common spelling of leech
1
: either vertical edge of a square sail
2
: the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail
leach
2 of 2verb
ˈlēch 
leached; leaching; leaches
transitive verb
1
: to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid
leach out alkali from ashes
2
: to subject to the action of percolating (see percolate sense 1a) liquid (such as water) in order to separate the soluble components
3
a
: to remove (nutritive or harmful elements) from soil by percolation (see percolate sense 1a)
soil leached of its salts by torrential rains
b
: to draw out or remove as if by percolation
all meaning has been leached from my life
intransitive verb
: to pass out or through by percolation
Nutrients leached out of the soil with rainwater.
leachability
ˌlē-chə-ˈbi-lə-tē
noun leachable
ˈlē-chə-bəl
adjective leacher noun
Example Sentences
Verb Even a small amount of rain can leach the toxic material from the soil. Certain kinds of treated wood can leach chemicals into the soil. The chemical eventually leaches away from the soil.
Recent Examples on the Web
Viveka Neveln, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2022 The advisory is based on research showing that PFAS can leach out of turnout gear onto firefighters' skin and potentially enter their bloodstream. Tom Costello, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2022 The chemicals break down slowly over time and leach into water and soil, and have been found in the blood of people and animals. Jen Christensen, CNN, 26 Aug. 2022 Packaging Avoid products that are packaged in plastic as this can leach into the oil. The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 May 2022 If the deceased has had chemotherapy, the liquid may leach out; then there’s embalming fluid, a potent chemical cocktail that contains formaldehyde, a carcinogen. William Ralston, Wired, 26 July 2022 The 18 million liters of embalming fluid that leach into US soil annually could fill six Olympic-size swimming pools. William Ralston, Wired, 26 July 2022 In its ruling, the agency said that Juul had provided insufficient and conflicting data about potentially harmful chemicals that could leach out of Juul’s proprietary e-liquid pods. Matt Richtel And Andrew Jacobs, BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2022 Instead it was based on what the agency said was insufficient and conflicting data from the company about potentially harmful chemicals that could leach out of Juul’s e-liquid pods. New York Times, 23 June 2022 See More
Verb
Applied three or more times a year, this type of fertilizer greens a lawn fast but does nothing for the soil underneath because the chemicals eventually leach away. Viveka Neveln, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2022 The advisory is based on research showing that PFAS can leach out of turnout gear onto firefighters' skin and potentially enter their bloodstream. Tom Costello, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2022 The chemicals break down slowly over time and leach into water and soil, and have been found in the blood of people and animals. Jen Christensen, CNN, 26 Aug. 2022 Packaging Avoid products that are packaged in plastic as this can leach into the oil. The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 May 2022 If the deceased has had chemotherapy, the liquid may leach out; then there’s embalming fluid, a potent chemical cocktail that contains formaldehyde, a carcinogen. William Ralston, Wired, 26 July 2022 The 18 million liters of embalming fluid that leach into US soil annually could fill six Olympic-size swimming pools. William Ralston, Wired, 26 July 2022 In its ruling, the agency said that Juul had provided insufficient and conflicting data about potentially harmful chemicals that could leach out of Juul’s proprietary e-liquid pods. Matt Richtel And Andrew Jacobs, BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2022 Instead it was based on what the agency said was insufficient and conflicting data from the company about potentially harmful chemicals that could leach out of Juul’s e-liquid pods. New York Times, 23 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
leach vessel through which water is passed to extract lye
First Known Use
Verb
1796, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
leach
verb
leached; leaching
: to remove or remove from by the action of a liquid passing through a substance
Water leaches minerals from soil.
The soil was leached by the constant rain.
Medical Definition
leach
transitive verb
ˈlēch
1
: to subject to the action of percolating liquid (as water) in order to separate the soluble components
2
: to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid
intransitive verb
: to pass out or through by percolation
leaching
verb
1
as in filtering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- filtering
- percolating
- screening
- straining
2
as in cleaning
Synonyms & Similar Words
- cleaning
- flushing
- refining
- purging
- cleansing
- reducing
- purifying
- evaporating
- distilling
- condensing
- extracting
- deepening
- compacting
- decocting
- clarifying
- hardening
- solidifying
- intensifying
- concentrating
- boiling down
- removing
- heightening
- enhancing
- enriching
- richening
- recondensing
- strengthening
- reconcentrating
- fortifying
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- diluting
- watering (down)
- cutting
- thinning
- weakening
- adulterating