1
: a limb of an animal used especially for supporting the body and for walking: such as
a(1)
: one of the paired vertebrate limbs that in bipeds extend from the top of the thigh to the foot
(2)
: the part of such a limb between the knee and foot
b
: the back half of a hindquarter of a meat animal
c
: one of the rather generalized segmental appendages of an arthropod used in walking and crawling
2
a
: a usually long narrow part (such as a pole or bar) serving as a support or prop
the legs of a tripod
b
: a branch of a forked or jointed object
the legs of a compass
3
a
: the part of an article of clothing that covers the leg
b
: the part of the upper (as of a boot) that extends above the ankle
4
5
: a side of a right triangle that is not the hypotenuse
also
: a side of an isosceles triangle that is not the base
6
a
: the course and distance sailed by a boat on a single tack
b
: a portion of a trip : stage
c
: one section of a relay race
d
: one of several events or games necessary to be won to decide a competition
won the first two legs of horse racing's Triple Crown
7
: a branch or part of an object or system
Traffic was stopped on the west leg of the interchange.
8
legs plural
: long-term appeal or interest
a news story with legs
see also:
Examples of leg in a Sentence
He sat on a chair with his legs crossed.
He leaned against the wall with his legs spread so the police could search him.
She broke her leg in a skiing accident.
His legs gave way under him and he fell over.
We had chicken legs for dinner.
Would you like some more leg of lamb?
the legs of a table
a chair with a broken leg
Recent Examples on the Web
Standing with the aid of the heavy steel braces on his legs and of his son James, who held his left elbow, Roosevelt had thrown out the first ball.
—
Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Wide-leg black jeans can sometimes skew either too grungy or too formal.
—India Roby, Glamour, 8 June 2026
Just be sure to select a size that's large enough for at least the front two legs of all the furniture pieces to rest on.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 8 June 2026
Suthar then picked up two wickets in two overs, having Sharafuddin Ashraf (11) caught behind and bowling Rahmat Shah around his legs, completing his maiden five-wicket haul.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for leg
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Wide-leg black jeans can sometimes skew either too grungy or too formal.
—India Roby, Glamour, 8 June 2026
Just be sure to select a size that's large enough for at least the front two legs of all the furniture pieces to rest on.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 8 June 2026
Suthar then picked up two wickets in two overs, having Sharafuddin Ashraf (11) caught behind and bowling Rahmat Shah around his legs, completing his maiden five-wicket haul.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for leg
Cite this Entry
“Leg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leg. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leg
1 of 2 noun1
: a limb of an animal used especially for supporting the body and for walking and running
also
: the part of a leg of a vertebrate animal between the knee and the foot
2
: something resembling an animal leg in shape or use
legs of a table
3
: the part of an article of clothing that covers the leg
4
: a side of a right triangle that is not the hypotenuse
also
: a side of an isosceles triangle that is not the base
5
a
: a portion of a trip : stage
b
: one section of a relay race
leg
2 of 2 verb
legged; legging
: to use the legs in walking or especially in running
Medical Definition
leg
noun
: a limb of an animal used especially for supporting the body and for walking: as
a
: either of the two lower human limbs that extend from the top of the thigh to the foot and especially the part between the knee and the ankle
b
: any of the rather generalized segmental appendages of an arthropod used in walking and crawling
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
