leaf out
phrasal verb
leafed out; leafing out; leafs out
US, of a tree
: to produce leaves
The tree will leaf out in the spring.
Examples of leaf out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West is taking a leaf out of her mom's book.
—
Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
Other North American native plants that pollinators visit, such as Virginia bluebells, columbine and phlox, have evolved to grow in partial shade as trees leaf out above them.
—Christina Grozinger, The Conversation, 15 May 2024
Tom Carruth, curator of the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanic Gardens’ extensive rose garden, posted a sweet video on Instagram in late March, explaining that the roses are only now leafing out, in a lovely variety of leaf colors and styles.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
These flowers sprout when sunlight streams onto the forest floor, before the trees leaf out.
—Daryln Brewer Hoffstot Kristian Thacker, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
My standard gardenias are leafing out all along the stems.
—Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2023
Most of the trees went from the bud phase to leafing out, without blossoming.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2023
Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
Other North American native plants that pollinators visit, such as Virginia bluebells, columbine and phlox, have evolved to grow in partial shade as trees leaf out above them.
—Christina Grozinger, The Conversation, 15 May 2024
Tom Carruth, curator of the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanic Gardens’ extensive rose garden, posted a sweet video on Instagram in late March, explaining that the roses are only now leafing out, in a lovely variety of leaf colors and styles.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
These flowers sprout when sunlight streams onto the forest floor, before the trees leaf out.
—Daryln Brewer Hoffstot Kristian Thacker, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
My standard gardenias are leafing out all along the stems.
—Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2023
Most of the trees went from the bud phase to leafing out, without blossoming.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leaf out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leaf out
Cite this Entry
“Leaf out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leaf%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2024.
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