leash

/liːʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /liːʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlēsh/ (ame, mw)

leash — 名詞

  • leashsingular
  • leashesplural

1. a long strip of leather, fabric, chain, or rope that you attach to a dog's colla

1.名詞B1
釋義

牽繩；狗鏈

繫在狗項圈上用來牽引控制的繩子

a long strip of leather, fabric, chain, or rope that you attach to a dog's collar so you can hold the dog and guide it while you walk.

例句

Samir always keeps his golden retriever on a short red leash near the park gate.

Samir 在公園門口總是用一條短短的紅色牽繩牽著他的黃金獵犬。

collocation: keep [a dog] on a leash

Please put your dog on a leash before walking onto the beach.

走到沙灘上之前，請先為您的狗繫上牽繩。

imperative: put [a dog] on a leash

同義詞
  • lead

    British English equivalent; identical in meaning.

  • tether

    longer rope for tying an animal to a fixed point, not for walking.

文法句型

on a leash

off the leash

用法筆記

Almost always used with the prepositions 'on' or 'off' — 'a dog on a leash' (controlled) versus 'a dog off the leash' (running free).

常見錯誤

❌I walked my dog with a leash on.
✅I walked my dog on a leash.
💡the standard pattern is 'on a leash', not 'with a leash on'.
❌The dog was in a leash.
✅The dog was on a leash.
💡use 'on', not 'in'.

2. a figurative limit placed on a person's freedom or behaviour — when someone is w

2.名詞B2
釋義

管束；束縛

對人的自由或行為所加的限制

a figurative limit placed on a person's freedom or behaviour — when someone is watched closely or not allowed much independence.

例句

After the budget mistake, the new manager kept her assistant on a very short leash for months.

在那次預算出錯之後，新任主管接連幾個月都嚴格管束她的助理。

idiomatic: keep [someone] on a short leash

Theo finally felt off the leash when his strict parents went away for the weekend.

嚴格的父母外出度週末時，Theo 終於覺得自己擺脫了束縛。

off the leash = free from control

同義詞
  • rein

    often plural ('keep a tight rein on'); same idea of restraint over a person.

  • control

    more general; lacks the imagery of a rope.

反義詞
  • free rein

    the opposite — full freedom rather than restriction.

文法句型

on a short leash

keep [someone] on a leash

用法筆記

Almost always appears with 'short' or 'tight' to indicate strict control; 'off the leash' means freedom or release from that control. Distinct from sense 1 because no actual rope is involved — the object of control is a person, not an animal.

常見錯誤

❌My boss has me in a leash at work.
✅My boss has me on a short leash at work.
💡the figurative pattern needs 'on a short/tight leash', not 'in a leash'.