lee

UK: 'lee', 'Lee': /liː/ US: /li/ ,(lē)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

lee¹ /li/   n. [countable* usually singular;
often: the + ~]

1. protective shelter:
   the lee of a rock in a storm.
2. the side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind:
   the huts that were erected under the lee of the mountain.
3. Nautical, Naval Terms [Chiefly Nautical.] the quarter or region toward which the wind blows.

adj. 

4. of, on, or moving toward the lee.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

lee¹  (lē), n. 

1. protective shelter:
   The lee of the rock gave us some protection against the storm.
2. the side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind:
   We erected our huts under the lee of the mountain.
3. Nautical, Naval Terms [Chiefly Naut.] the quarter or region toward which the wind blows.
4. Nautical, Naval Terms by the lee, accidentally against what should be the lee side of a sail:
   Careless steering brought the wind by the lee.
5. Nautical, Naval Terms under the lee, to leeward.

adj. 

6. pertaining to, situated in, or moving toward the lee.

• bef. 900; Middle English; Old English hlēo(w) shelter, cognate with Old Frisian hli, hly, Old Saxon hleo, Old Norse hlé

lee²  (lē), n. 

1. Wine Usually, lees. the insoluble matter that settles from a liquid, esp. from wine;
   sediment;
   dregs.

• Gaulish *lig(j)a; compare Old Irish lige bed, akin to Old English gelege bed. See lie²
• Medieval Latin lia, probably
• Middle French
• Middle English lie 1350–1400

Lee  (lē), n. 

1. Biographical Ann, 1736–84, British mystic: founder of Shaker sect in U.S.
2. Biographical Charles, 1731–82, American Revolutionary general, born in England.
Doris Em•rick  (em′rik), born 1905, U.S. painter. Fitz•hugh  (fits′hyo̅o̅′ or, often, -yo̅o̅′; fits hyo̅o̅′ or, often, -yo̅o̅′), 1835–1905, U.S. general and statesman (grandson of Henry Lee;
nephew of Robert E. Lee). Francis Light•foot  (līt′fŏŏt′), 1734–97, American Revolutionary statesman (brother of Richard H. Lee).
3. Biographical Gypsy Rose (Rose Louise Hovick), 1914–70, U.S. entertainer.
4. Biographical Harper, born 1926, U.S. novelist.
5. Biographical Henry ("Light-Horse Harry''), 1756–1818, American Revolutionary general (father of Robert E. Lee).
Kuan Yew  (kwän yo̅o̅), born 1923, Singapore political leader: prime minister 1959–90. Man•fred Bennington  (man′frid), ("Ellery Queen''), 1905–71, U.S. mystery writer, in collaboration with Frederic Dannay.
6. Biographical Richard Henry, 1732–94, American Revolutionary statesman (brother of Francis L. Lee).
7. Biographical Robert E(dward), 1807–70, U.S. soldier and educator: Confederate general in the American Civil War (son of Henry Lee).
8. Biographical Sir Sidney, 1859–1926, English biographer and critic.
Tsung-Dao  (dzŏŏng′dou′), born 1926, Chinese physicist in the U.S.: Nobel prize 1957.
9. Place Names a town in W Massachusetts: resort. 6247.
10. a male or female given name.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

lee / liː/ noun

1. a sheltered part or side; the side away from the direction from which the wind is blowing

adjective

1. (prenominal) on, at, or towards the side or part away from the wind: on a lee shore
   Compare weather5

Etymology: Old English hlēow shelter; related to Old Norse hle

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

I•a•coc•ca  (ī′ə kō′kə), n. 

1. Lee (Lido Anthony), born 1924, U.S. automobile executive.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Lee / liː/ noun

1. a river in SW Republic of Ireland, flowing east into Cork Harbour. Length: about 80 km (50 miles)

Lee / liː/ noun

1. Ang ( æŋ ). born 1954, Taiwanese film director; his films include Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Life of Pi (2012)
2. Bruce, original name Lee Yuen Kam. 1940–73, US film actor and kung fu expert who starred in such films as Enter the Dragon (1973)
3. Gypsy Rose, original name Rose Louise Hovick. 1914–70, US striptease and burlesque artiste, who appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies (1936) and in films
4. (Nelle) Harper. 1926–2016, US novelist, noted for To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
5. Laurie ( ˈlɒrɪ ). 1914–97, British poet and writer, best known for the autobiographical Cider with Rosie (1959)
6. Richard Henry. 1732–94, American Revolutionary statesman, who moved the resolution in favour of American independence (1776)
7. Robert E(dward). 1807–70, American general; commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies in the Civil War
8. Spike, real name Shelton Jackson Lee. born 1957, US film director: his films include She's Gotta Have It (1985), Malcolm X (1992), and the documentary When the Leeves Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2008)
9. T(sung)-D(ao) ( tsuːŋ daʊ ). 1926–2024, US physicist, born in China. With Yang he disproved the principle that parity is always conserved and shared the Nobel prize for physics in 1957