leg
leg — noun
1. each of the two limbs on a person or animal that go from the hips or upper body
each of the two limbs on a person or animal that go from the hips or upper body down to the ground and are used for walking, running, and standing up.
David broke his leg during a football match and had to use crutches for two months.
collocation: break your leg
The dog injured its front leg when it jumped off the wall.
Jiwoo crossed her legs and sat down on the yoga mat.
collocation: cross your legs
Aylin felt a sharp pain in her right leg after running ten kilometres.
- break your leg
- cross your legs
- stretch your legs
- long/short legs
- front/hind legs
- limb
more general or technical; includes arms and legs
- lower limb
formal medical term for the leg
- arm
the upper limb of the body
Usage Note
In everyday English, 'leg' usually refers to the whole limb from the hip to the foot. In medical contexts, it may refer only to the part between the knee and the ankle.
Common Mistakes
2. the long fabric section of trousers, jeans, or boots that wraps around a person'
the long fabric section of trousers, jeans, or boots that wraps around a person's leg from the hip down.
Rodrigo bought trousers with wide legs because he prefers a loose fit.
One of her jeans had a tear in the left leg near the knee.
collocation: left/right leg of clothing
The tailor shortened the legs of the suit trousers by five centimetres.
Aylin rolled up her right trouser leg to show the doctor her swollen ankle.
collocation: trouser leg
- trouser leg
- jeans leg
- left/right leg
- shorten the legs
- wide/narrow leg
Usage Note
This sense always refers to a part of clothing, not a body part. The plural 'legs' can mean both legs of a pair of trousers.
3. any of the vertical supports attached beneath desks, beds, cabinets, or other fu
any of the vertical supports attached beneath desks, beds, cabinets, or other furniture that lift it off the floor and keep it steady.
One of the chair legs is shorter than the others, so it wobbles when you sit on it.
We glued the broken table leg back into place and let the glue dry overnight.
collocation: table leg / chair leg
Nellie placed small felt pads under each bed leg so the floor would not get scratched.
Eitan kicked the desk leg by accident and yelled in pain.
- table leg
- chair leg
- bed leg
- broken leg
- wobbly leg
4. one part or section of a long journey, a race, a competition, or a process that
one part or section of a long journey, a race, a competition, or a process that has several stages.
The final leg of the bus journey took us through a narrow mountain pass.
collocation: final/first/next leg of a journey
Tunde ran the fastest time in the third leg of the relay race.
After two legs of the competition, the Korean team was in the lead by twelve points.
The first leg of our trip took us from Taipei to Tokyo by plane.
collocation: first/final leg of a trip
- first/second/final leg
- leg of the journey
- leg of the race
- leg of the competition
5. in cricket, the area of the pitch on the side where the person holding the bat s
in cricket, the area of the pitch on the side where the person holding the bat stands when facing the bowler, located behind the batter's body.
The bowler aimed a fast ball towards the leg side to test the batsman's timing.
Nikhil fielded at leg slip for most of the afternoon session.
cricket field position: leg slip
The fielder ran quickly towards the leg boundary to stop the ball.
The captain placed three fielders on the leg side to catch the ball.
- leg side
- leg stump
- leg slip
- on the leg
- off side
the opposite side of the cricket field
Usage Note
This term is specific to cricket. The opposite side is called the 'off side'. For a right-handed batter, the leg side is on the left.
6. an animal's leg, especially the upper part of a chicken, turkey, or lamb, cooked
an animal's leg, especially the upper part of a chicken, turkey, or lamb, cooked and eaten as a meal.
Brooke ordered roast chicken leg with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.
collocation: chicken leg / turkey leg / lamb leg
Putri marinated the lamb legs in yoghurt and spices before putting them in the oven.
The children each ate a whole turkey leg at the Thanksgiving dinner.
David grilled chicken legs over charcoal and served them with salad.
- chicken leg
- turkey leg
- lamb leg
- roast leg
- ham leg
- leg of lamb
Usage Note
When referring to food, 'leg' usually means the meat from the upper part of the leg. For birds, 'drumstick' refers to the lower part of the leg, and 'thigh' refers to the upper part.
7. one of the branches or arms of a forked object, such as a pair of compasses, a Y
one of the branches or arms of a forked object, such as a pair of compasses, a Y-shaped pipe, or a dividing path.
The two legs of the pipeline carry water in different directions across the valley.
Henrik opened the legs of the compass wide enough to draw a twenty-centimetre circle.
collocation: legs of a compass
The metal frame splits into two curved legs that support the entire structure.
The road splits into two legs just past the old church on the hill.
- legs of a compass
- legs of a fork
- two-legged
- three-legged
break a leg!
idiomused to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance or an important event.
"Break a leg tonight!" Eitan shouted to his sister as she walked onto the stage for her first piano recital.
pull someone's leg
idiomto tease or play a trick on someone by making them believe something that is not true.
Élise told me the exam was cancelled, but she was just pulling my leg.
to have no support for your opinion or position, especially when trying to prove something or defend yourself in an argument.
Without any evidence, the lawyer did not have a leg to stand on in court.
to be extremely expensive.
The repairs to the car cost an arm and a leg, but we had no other way to get to work.
on your last legs
idiomvery tired or close to failing, dying, or no longer working.
After hiking for twelve hours, the group was on their last legs and desperately needed a rest.
stretch your legs
idiomto go for a short walk after sitting down for a long time.
During the long bus journey, we stopped at a rest area so everyone could stretch their legs.
shake a leg
idiomused to tell someone to hurry up or start moving.
"Shake a leg!" called the tour guide. "The bus leaves in five minutes."
have legs
idiomto continue to be interesting, successful, or popular for a long period of time.
The film's story has real legs — people are still discussing it years after its release.
feeling ashamed, embarrassed, or defeated after a failure or punishment.
After losing the argument so badly, Nikhil walked away with his tail between his legs.
Moving as quickly as possible.
When the fire alarm rang, Maya ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Did you run as fast as your legs could carry you to catch the bus?
Being very close to breaking down or dying.
My old laptop is on its last legs and keeps crashing.
After the long hike, Diego was on his last legs and could barely stand.
To be extremely expensive.
The designer handbag cost an arm and a leg, but Sara saved for months.
Did you really pay an arm and a leg for that concert ticket?
get your leg over
idiomTo have sex.
The movie implied the couple got their leg over after the party.
He bragged about getting his leg over, but his friends didn't believe him.
pull somebody’s leg
idiomTo tease someone by telling them something untrue.
Aiden said he won the lottery, but he was just pulling my leg.
Are you pulling my leg, or did you really see a ghost?
To talk a lot, often about unimportant things.
My grandmother can talk the hind legs off a donkey about her garden.
During the meeting, Brian talked the hind legs off a donkey, boring everyone.
leg — verb
1. to run away quickly, especially to escape from a dangerous situation or someone
to run away quickly, especially to escape from a dangerous situation or someone who is chasing you.
When the security guard shouted, the teenagers legged it down the street.
phrasal verb: leg it
David saw the angry dog and decided to leg it across the park as fast as he could.
The boys legged it when the farmer spotted them in the apple orchard.
As soon as the rain started, everyone legged it towards the bus shelter.
collocation: leg it towards
Élise legged it out of the building the moment the fire alarm went off.
- leg it when...
- leg it down the street
- leg it out of there
Grammar Patterns
leg it
Usage Note
This phrasal verb always takes 'it' as a fixed object: 'leg it'. It is informal and common in British English but less common in American English.
Common Mistakes
leg — adverb
1. a written abbreviation for 'legato', meaning that musical notes should be played
a written abbreviation for 'legato', meaning that musical notes should be played or sung in a smooth, connected way.
The sheet music was marked 'leg.' which meant the pianist had to play the passage smoothly.
abbreviation: leg. for legato
The clarinet section played their notes 'leg.' as instructed, keeping each tone connected.
Jiwoo saw 'leg.' written above the scale and remembered to hold each note into the next.
The conductor asked for 'leg.' playing from the strings, so the violins drew long bows.
Usage Note
This abbreviation appears in musical scores. The full term 'legato' is more common in written instructions.
leg — abbreviation
1. a written abbreviation for 'legal', used in official documents, forms, and short
a written abbreviation for 'legal', used in official documents, forms, and short notes.
The envelope was marked 'leg. department' and sent to the company's legal office.
abbreviation: leg. for legal
The form had a box for 'leg. name' where we entered the name of our lawyer.
Nikhil noted 'leg. fees' on the invoice to separate legal costs from other charges.
The contract referred to the 'leg. owner' of the property in several clauses.
2. a written abbreviation for 'legato', meaning smooth and connected playing of mus
a written abbreviation for 'legato', meaning smooth and connected playing of musical notes.
The composer wrote 'leg.' above the violin melody to indicate a flowing, connected sound.
abbreviation: leg. for legato
The choir director marked the hymn as 'leg.' to keep the voices smooth and joined.
In the flute part, 'leg.' appeared wherever a gentle, sliding feel was needed.
Putri practiced the 'leg.' section slowly, trying not to break the line of sound.
3. a written abbreviation for 'legislative' or 'legislature', used in political and
a written abbreviation for 'legislative' or 'legislature', used in political and government contexts.
The new bill was sent to the leg. committee for review before the final vote.
abbreviation: leg. for legislative/legislature
The local leg. office announced new rules about waste collection in the city.
Henrik watched a live broadcast of the leg. debate on educational funding.
The newspaper listed the current members of the state leg. for each district.
Word family
- leggedadjectiveB1
- leggingnounB1
- leglessadjectiveC1
- legroomnounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
The word 'leg' refers to the entire limb from the hip to the foot. 'Limbs' is the broader category that includes both arms and legs — a doctor might say 'check all four limbs'. 'Thigh' is the upper part of the leg between the hip and the knee. 'Shin' is the front part of the lower leg, between the knee and the ankle. 'Knee' is the joint that connects the thigh and the shin. For example: 'The runner complained of pain in her right leg. The doctor examined her thigh, shin, and knee separately and found that only the shin was swollen.'
Common collocations
Nouns
- leg room
- leg injury
- leg muscle
- leg length
- leg warmers
Phrases
- arm and a leg
- last legs
- shake a leg
- break a leg
- on one's last legs
Prepositions
- on one leg
- between the legs
- in the leg
Etymology
The word 'leg' comes from Old Norse 'leggr', meaning 'a limb, a leg'. It entered English through the Viking settlements in northern England around the 9th–10th centuries, gradually replacing the Old English word 'sceanca' (shank). The original sense of the body part has remained stable, while its use for furniture supports and stages developed between the 15th and 17th centuries.