Definition

1. Noun:
   • A limb used for standing and walking: In humans and many animals, one of the two long parts of the body used for support and locomotion, specifically the part between the hip and the foot.
   • A support or pillar: Something that resembles a limb in shape or function, such as one of the vertical supports of a piece of furniture like a table or chair.
   • A section or stage: A distinct part of a journey, race, or process.
   • A branch or part of a forked structure: One of the projecting parts of an object that divides, such as a branch of a river or a compass point.

Usage and Examples

• Referring to a body part:

  • She broke her leg in a skiing accident.
  • The horse has a strong, muscular leg.

• Referring to furniture support:

  • One of the table legs is wobbly.
  • He repaired the leg of the antique chair.

• Referring to a segment of travel or competition:

  • The flight from London to Dubai was the first leg of our trip.
  • Our team won the final leg of the relay race.

• Referring to a part of clothing:

  • There's a hole in the leg of my jeans.

Advanced Usage and Idioms

• Not have a leg to stand on: To have no evidence or valid arguments to support one's position.

  • Without a contract, you don't have a leg to stand on in court.

• Pull someone's leg: To tease or joke with someone in a playful way.

  • Is he serious about moving to Mars, or is he just pulling my leg?

• On one's last legs: To be very tired, worn out, or near the end of viability.

  • After the marathon, I was on my last legs.
  • That old car is on its last legs.

• Shake a leg: An informal way to tell someone to hurry up or to start dancing.

  • Shake a leg, or we'll be late for the movie!

• Cost an arm and a leg: To be very expensive.

  • Getting the car repaired is going to cost an arm and a leg.

Variants and Related Words

• Legged (adj): Having legs of a specified kind or number.

  • A three-legged stool.
  • A long-legged insect.

• Legging (n): A tight-fitting garment covering the leg, typically from the waist to the ankle.

  • She wore black leggings to the yoga class.

• Leggy (adj): Having attractively long legs (often for a person or plant).

  • A leggy supermodel.
  • The plant became leggy from lack of sunlight.

Synonyms

• Limb: A general term for an arm or leg.
• Support: Something that bears the weight of an object.
• Stage: A distinct phase or period in a process.
• Segment: One of the parts into which something is divided.

Phrasal Verbs

• Leg it (informal): To walk or run quickly, especially to escape.
  • When the alarm went off, we had to leg it out of there.

Related Idioms

• Break a leg!: A phrase used to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance.

  • You're going to be great in the play. Break a leg!

• Stretch one's legs: To go for a walk, especially after sitting for a long time.

  • Let's stop at the next rest area so we can stretch our legs.

Noun

1. a section or portion of a journey or course
   • then we embarked on the second stage of our Caribbean cruise
2. (nautical) the distance traveled by a sailing vessel on a single tack
3. a cloth covering consisting of the part of a pair of trousers that covers a person's leg
4. a prosthesis that replaces a missing leg
5. the limb of an animal used for food
6. a part of a forked or branching shape
   • he broke off one of the branches
7. one of the supports for a piece of furniture
8. a structure in animals that is similar to a human leg and used for locomotion
9. a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle