anterior cruciate ligament

noun

: a cruciate ligament of each knee that attaches the front of the tibia with the back of the femur and functions especially to prevent hyperextension of the knee and is subject to injury especially by tearing

called also ACL

Examples of anterior cruciate ligament in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Barcelona have confirmed that defender Andreas Christensen has sustained a partial anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his left knee. —Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025

That wasn’t even the worst news of the weekend for Kansas City, as superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a left knee injury in the fourth quarter, later confirmed to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). —Frank Nunns O'Connell, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025

Unfortunately, one night while playing a late tennis tournament in college, Ekmark planted her feet wrong and tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), one of the main ligaments in the knee. —Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025

Bo and Faye are both retired after Bo tore his anterior cruciate ligament in January. —Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

anterior cruciate ligament

noun

: a cruciate ligament of each knee that is attached in front to the more medial aspect of the tibia, that passes upward, backward, and laterally through the middle of the knee crossing the posterior cruciate ligament to attach to the femur, that functions to prevent hyperextension of the knee and to keep the tibia from sliding forward in relation to the femur, and that is subject to sports injury especially by tearing

called also ACL