How to Use have a leg up in a Sentence
have a leg up
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Anybody who can get a win in any of those places is going to have a leg up.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2023
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All else held equal, this variant will have a leg up on its kin, and may outcompete them.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 June 2021
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And members have a leg up on winning passage of their own spending bills.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2022
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That means men may well have a leg up in their careers if negative feedback tends to bounce right off of them.
—Sarah Todd, Quartz, 23 Nov. 2021
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The winner, however, will have a leg up in a two-team race — and these teams meet again at the end of the month.
—Barry Wilner, Star Tribune, 11 Nov. 2020
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Still, live game action provided clues as to which reserves have a leg up on roster spots.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2024
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So where do Oru’s origami ‘yaks have a leg up on inflatable options?
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2023
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Whatever team handles that odd pause the best will have a leg up on the second half of the season.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2026
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That’s where, to some degree, family businesses have a leg up.
—Ethan Karp, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
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Lefty Kody Funderburk could have a leg up for spot after a strong finish to last year.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2025
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Kids who perform well on a test on the first go, or who routinely turn in assignments on time, often have a leg up.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2021
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Businesses that are proactive in creating and growing their brand have a leg up on the road to success.
—Kristi Piehl, Forbes.com, 23 Feb. 2026
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But for the time being, humans have a leg up in some areas, such as handling delicate objects.
—Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2021
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The current generation of young investors may have a leg up on their older peers, data shows.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
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Rea has pitched only 4 2/3 innings in two starts this spring, so Brown appears to have a leg up.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
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Nuclear propulsion could have a leg up on chemical propulsion for a few reasons.
—Dan Kotlyar, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2024
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The winner of this series will have a leg up in the American League West.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
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Those who can afford to pay for AGI usage will have a leg up on everyone else.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
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Hopkins thinks one way real bartenders have a leg up is through human interaction.
—Emma Balter, Chron, 2 Mar. 2023
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Readers of Homer’s Odyssey may have a leg up in their familiarity with him.
—Daniel Seifert, JSTOR Daily, 5 Feb. 2025
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Emmet feels musicians and singers have a leg up in understanding the nuances of a language.
—Amanda Florian, Discover Magazine, 4 Dec. 2021
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Computer science is a viable career path and Black children will have a leg up in it thanks to a new program.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 29 Sep. 2023
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Futu may have a leg up in the city-state given Singapore’s lag in digital trading.
—Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 20 May 2021
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And then there’s Baker, who may have a leg up on Cojoe based on his run with the first team during the first week of practice.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 2 Aug. 2025
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So the Bears might have a leg up in terms of experience over the relatively green Huskies.
—Lori Riley, courant.com, 25 Mar. 2021
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The twins took an official visit to the school this weekend and the Panthers look to have a leg up on the other two offers.
—Chris Hays, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2023
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The bears in southeast Greenland do have a leg up in their difficult habitat, however.
—Doug Johnson, Ars Technica, 21 June 2022
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For Republicans, the second-place finisher in the primaries could have a leg up.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2024
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The Lakers have a leg up on their longtime rivals with one of the richest local TV deals in the sport.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 18 June 2025
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Teams that are versatile and can deploy multiple looks tend to have a leg up over those who stick with one style regardless of opponent.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'have a leg up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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