foreleg

noun

fore·​leg ˈfȯr-ˌleg How to pronounce foreleg (audio)
-ˌlāg
: a front leg

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Swinehart wrote: The delay was long enough to get off another arrow, which buried deep behind the foreleg just as the rhino disappeared behind the thorn growth. David Howard, Popular Mechanics, 11 Aug. 2021 Per a chart cited by Ruppert, finds include a chunk of the horse’s saddle, a foreleg fragment and a piece of the king’s cloak. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 1 Nov. 2019 Some stuck the landing by first planting their forelegs on the surface, then swinging their bodies into place, similar to a back flip (see video, above). Stephenie Livingston, Science | AAAS, 23 Oct. 2019 The animal was favoring its left hind leg and suffered abrasions to its forelegs. Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2019 In Soergel’s model, the creature would have had strong hind legs and short forelegs, both of which were held much more upright than in living reptiles. Hans-dieter Sues, Smithsonian, 11 Sep. 2019 To see a small thin dog arrowing through the air at highway speeds, resistant to gravity, its forelegs out, its hind legs trailing, its thin proud snout straining forward, is to experience a brief moment of déjà vu. Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 18 June 2018 His 1993 feature on the subject began with a painfully detailed description of a filly named So Sly, whose left foreleg snapped in half during a race at Pimlico. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2018 What to do with rabbit forelegs left over from making rabbit-liver terrine and rabbit confit? Brett Martin, GQ, 24 Apr. 2018 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foreleg.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foreleg was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near foreleg

Cite this Entry

“Foreleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreleg. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

foreleg

noun
fore·​leg ˈfōr-ˌleg How to pronounce foreleg (audio)
ˈfȯr-
: a front leg

Medical Definition

foreleg

noun
: a front leg

More from Merriam-Webster on foreleg

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