# leach

/ˈɫitʃ/ (US) · /lˈiːtʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/leach
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to wash out chemicals

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to remove chemicals or minerals from a solid, like soil or rock, by passing water through it.

For teachers: to extract a soluble constituent from a solid by the action of a percolating liquid.

- Heavy rain can cause nutrients to leach out of the soil, leaving it poor for farming.
- If the landfill is not properly sealed, toxic chemicals may leach into the local groundwater and contaminate the drinking supply.

Usage: Often used with 'out of', 'into', or 'through'.

### 2. to lose gradually

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to slowly lose a quality, feeling, or strength over time.

For teachers: to drain away or be removed gradually; used figuratively to describe the loss of abstract qualities.

- The long, cold winter seemed to leach the energy from everyone in the village.
- Years of corporate bureaucracy had leached the enthusiasm from the design team, leaving them cynical and uninspired.

Teaching tip: This figurative use is common in high-level literature to describe a slow, exhausting loss of emotion or colour.

### 3. a container for filtering

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Archaic

a container or tank used to wash chemicals out of materials like wood ash or bark.

For teachers: a vat or vessel used for the process of leaching, particularly in traditional industries like tanning or soap-making.

- The old tannery used a large wooden leach to process the tree bark.
- Archaeologists discovered a stone leach at the site, suggesting the inhabitants produced their own lye for soap production.

## Examples

- Heavy rains cause chemicals to leach into the river.
- If the landfill is not properly sealed, toxic substances may leach into the local groundwater and contaminate the drinking supply.
- Over centuries, water moving through the limestone began to leach the minerals from the rock, eventually creating the vast network of underground caverns seen today.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.