leg up

noun

1

: a helping hand : boost

2

: head start

Synonyms of leg up

• assistance
• assist
• support
• help
• boost
• aid

Examples of leg up in a Sentence

a key endorsement that would give the struggling candidate a real leg up right now

Recent Examples on the Web

While our new girl bias isn’t as strong as Victoria’s, having those two decades of backstory on her does give a leg up in terms of whose plight is easier to invest in. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Another leg up this week has taken longer-duration Treasury yields to highs not seen since 2004. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Our strategy is focused on ‘fair play’, giving the next generation fair access and a leg up in life. — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Apple hopes these functions will give it a leg up over rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for leg up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup