Usage of Lame
Lame was formerly common as a descriptor of any person or animal lacking full use of a part of the body and especially a limb. Over the course of the 20th century, however, numerous disparaging uses of lame became common, making the neutral medical uses as applied to people increasingly offensive. Lame is no longer applied to people in medical contexts, and the disparaging uses, as in "a lame excuse," "he's so lame," "a lame party," and "lame jokes," are occasionally considered to be offensive as well. The use of lame in reference to animals remains common and is not usually regarded as offensive.
Note: Use of this sense in reference to people is now considered offensive.
Examples of lame in a Sentence
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Sep. 2025
Shootouts are lame in comparison.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
That s—t gonna be lame 10 years from now.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Aug. 2025
The Democratic state Legislature in New York’s lame attempt to join them in undermining representative government will not work.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
To put it in a different way, my life is pretty lame [laughs].
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2023
Well, this is so lame, but I'm almost finished watching The Sopranos for the very first time ever.
—Lauren Morgan, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2022
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
—Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
There's nothing watery, limp, or lame about an onion boil.
—Melissa Gray, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024
And unlike other bread lames that don’t conceal the razor, this one opens and closes for maximum safety.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2024
The question is, then, how can two lames convince the girls to look their way?
—Vulture, 6 June 2023
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025
The kit includes a round-proofing basket, a bench scraper for handling dough, a silicone bowl scraper, and a bread lame with five blades for scoring the dough before baking.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lame. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lame
1 of 2 adjectivelame
2 of 2 verbMedical Definition
lame
adjectiveNote: Lame was formerly common as a descriptor of any person or animal lacking full use of a part of the body. Over the course of the 20th century, however, numerous disparaging uses of lame became common, making the neutral medical use as applied to people increasingly offensive. Lame is no longer applied to people in medical contexts, but the use of lame in reference to animals remains common and is not usually regarded as offensive.
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