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leg

leg

79 3.0
A stage of a journey or race between two points
  • noun
  • /lɛg/
translation icon : etapa
  • And now, the supreme moment, as the last runner... the one given the great honor of lighting the ceremonial flame... runs the last leg of a marathon that began seven days ago... as this torch has been passed from athlete to athlete... for 970 miles... across the country.
  • leg of the journey
  • last leg
  • first leg

The most efficient runners for the third leg of the triathlon pre stiffen.

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Examples

  • Amelia and Fred have just completed the first and easiest leg of their journey.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The first leg, 20 K to the mouth of the North Forest.

  • And this is the northern leg of this map.

  • This Friday we are going to announce the second leg of the Less is Now tour.

  • In that sense, on this leg of the journey, I was searching for the points of rebellion.

    Academic text (1992)
  • This is our last leg of today's travel day.

  • About ninety minutes later, on the last leg of the drive home, Mitch said, "What's our next move?"

    Fiction book (1992)
  • As we near the end of the first leg of the Casa Cristo one team has dominated the race.

  • Unfortunately, we're only going to escort them on the first leg of their mission, so I don't expect you'll see much action.

  • The presidential candidates are on the final leg of the race for the White House.

Synonyms

stage
vsleg
987 1.7

A time or step in a process

is a specific section between two points on a route

Idioms

to break a leg
  • Informal
15 6.3

To wish someone good luck before a performance

an arm and a leg
  • Informal
10 5.8

A very high cost that needs a lot of money

to shake a leg
  • Archaic
9 6.5

To hurry when someone tells you to

To have a good reason or proof to support your claim

1 4.1

To tell someone something that is not true to make them laugh

To be ordinary like other people

to show a leg
  • Archaic
1 9.5

To come out and join other people

7.9

Have no good reason or evidence to support a claim

To tease someone by saying something that is not true as a joke

8.0

To show that famous people are ordinary like everyone else

To lie to someone in an obvious way while expecting them to believe it

Speak with someone for a very long time until they get tired

Compounds

leg up
  • Informal
14 3.4

A form of help or small advantage that makes reaching a goal easier

14 1.0

A back leg on a four-legged animal that helps it walk or jump

11 1.2

The part of trousers that covers one leg

10 3.8

A leg made of wood that replaces a missing one

6 1.0

A back leg of a young sheep cooked and served as a roast

5 1.0

The lower part of a chicken that people eat

5 2.7

A bone in the leg like the femur or tibia

4 1.0

The lower part of a turkey that people cook and eat

1 1.4

The part of a pair of pants that covers one leg

bandy leg
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A leg that curves outward at or below the knee

leg curl
  • Specialized
1 3.5

An exercise that bends the knee to lift the lower leg toward the buttocks and work the hamstrings

1 2.0

An exercise that makes leg muscles stronger and firmer

leg day
  • Jargon
1 5.5

A day for exercising the lower body with moves like squats and lunges

milk leg
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A painful swelling in the leg after childbirth caused by a blood clot

7.1

Legs that curve outward below the knee so the knees stay apart when the feet are together

8.4

A pommel horse move where both legs swing together in a circle while the hands switch on the handles

A part of an animal's body used to stand on and move

A cricket dismissal when a batsman's leg blocks the ball from hitting the stumps and the umpire signals out

A piece of clothing that covers the lower leg from the knee to the ankle

leg curling
  • Specialized
3.5

An exercise that strengthens the muscles at the back of the thigh by bending the knee against a weight

leg extensor
  • Specialized
6.0

An exercise done on a machine that makes the front thigh muscles stronger by straightening the knee

leg-pulling
  • Informal
7.0

An act of joking to make someone believe something not true

leg-pull
  • Archaic
7.1

A joke that tries to make someone believe a false story for fun

odd-leg caliper
  • Specialized
8.5

A tool with two legs curved the same way used to mark or measure distances on flat metal

A long thin leg that looks like a pole

white leg
  • Archaic
9.8

A painful swelling in the upper leg caused by a blood clot after giving birth

Surface Forms

leg singular
legs plural

Etymology

Leg meaning a stage of a journey is a good metaphor: a trip is like a body in motion and each 'leg' is one part that moves you from one point to the next, which is why we call a section of a journey a 'leg'.