Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

leg up

noun

Definition of leg up

  1. 1 :  a helping hand :  boost

  2. 2 :  head start

Explore M-W

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail
image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
alt-597233d35a146
Trending: 'Scaramouch,' Scaramucci Possibly to Fandango
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Examples of leg up in a Sentence

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

First Known Use of leg up

1871

leg up Synonyms

Synonyms
abetment, aid, assist, assistance, backing, boost, hand, helping hand, help, lift, support
Antonyms
hindrance
Related Words
advancement, encouragement, facilitation, forwarding, furtherance, furthering, nurturance; benefaction, patronage, promotion, sponsorship; advice, care, counsel, guidance, mentoring; attendance, attention, hand-holding, service; beneficence, charity, favor, kindness, philanthropy; assuagement, palliation, relief, succor
Near Antonyms
constraint, frustration, inhibition, interference, obstruction, repression, restraint; deterrence, discouragement

Phrases Related to LEG UP

Related Phrases

Learn More about leg up

  1. See words that rhyme with leg up Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for leg up

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up leg up? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

haphazard

play

marked by lack of plan or order

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  2. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  3. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  4. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

  5. kakistocracy Frustrated Twitter users have been searching for this word.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

leg up

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: leg up in a Sentence