English Reference
Idiom idiom

strain at the leash

Meaning

To be very eager to do or begin something.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“The excited puppy is straining at the leash to go outside.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The students are straining at the leash to finish their exams and start their summer vacation.”

COMPLEX

“After months of careful planning and bureaucratic delays, the young entrepreneurs were straining at the leash to launch their innovative project.”

Anchors to
Related idioms3entries
  1. 01

    short leash

    A strict set of rules, or great scrutiny or oversight which limit one's freedom of action.

  2. 02

    strain a point

    To make a special effort; especially, to do a degree of violence to some principle or to one's own feelings.

  3. 03

    strain at a gnat

    to make a mountain out of a molehill

Last updated August 10, 2026