1
a
: a substance (such as yeast) used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid
especially
: sourdough
b
: a material (such as baking powder) used to produce a gas that lightens dough or batter
2
: something that modifies or lightens
leavened; leavening
ˈle-və-niŋ 
ˈlev-niŋ
1
: to raise (something, such as bread) with a leaven
2
: to mingle or permeate with some modifying, alleviating, or vivifying element
Examples of leaven in a Sentence
Noun
a serious book that includes a few humorous stories as leaven
Verb
He needs to leaven his speeches with more humor.
using yeast to leaven the dough
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2025
Lives are literally on the line in Vivian Qu’s genre hybrid Girls on Wire, a surprisingly gritty study of people left behind or living in the margins that fuses gangster realism with social drama and leavens both with a dash of unexpected humor.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026
Hammer leavens the central drama with a subplot involving Amanda’s daughter Sara and her burgeoning love affair with a local boy, emphasizing Amanda’s dilemma, having to play mother to her mother and let her little girl go.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leaven
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Noun
Since 1932, this bakery has been crafting pain de campagne, a round, tangy sourdough loaf made from stone-ground wheat flour, water, sea salt, and natural leaven.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2025
Lives are literally on the line in Vivian Qu’s genre hybrid Girls on Wire, a surprisingly gritty study of people left behind or living in the margins that fuses gangster realism with social drama and leavens both with a dash of unexpected humor.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
Three years later, Del Popolo expanded to its Bush Street location, serving naturally leavened, Neapolitan-style pizza alongside antipasti offerings like citrus salad and local Dungeness crab.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026
Hammer leavens the central drama with a subplot involving Amanda’s daughter Sara and her burgeoning love affair with a local boy, emphasizing Amanda’s dilemma, having to play mother to her mother and let her little girl go.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leaven
Cite this Entry
“Leaven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leaven. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leaven
1 of 2 noun
leav·en
ˈlev-ən
1
a
: a substance (as yeast) used to produce a gaseous fermentation (as in dough)
b
: a material (as baking powder) used to produce a gas that makes dough or batter rise and become light
2
: something that changes slightly or lightens a mass or whole
leaven
2 of 2 verb
leavened; leavening
ˈlev-(ə-)niŋ
1
: to raise (dough) with a leaven
2
: to mix or spread throughout with leaven
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