leg
noun /leɡ/
/leɡ/
Idioms 
enlarge image[countable] one of the long parts that connect the feet to the rest of the body- Sit on the floor, stretching your legs out in front of you.
- your left/right leg
- I broke my leg playing football.
- She has a broken leg.
- He lost a leg in a motorcycle accident.
- She had to have her leg amputated.
- How many legs does a centipede have?
- The bear rose up on its hind legs.
- a wooden leg
- between somebody's legs He dribbled the ball between the defender's legs.
- on somebody's leg I had a big bruise on my leg.
- a leg injury
Collocations Physical appearancePhysical appearancesee also bow legs, daddy-long-legs, dead leg, foreleg, inside leg, leggy, legroom, peg leg, sea legs- A person may be described as having:
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(British English) ginger/grey hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/centre(British English) parting
- a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodya1- He jumped to avoid the flailing leg of the defender.
- He put his back against the car, braced his legs and pushed.
- He rose to his feet on shaky legs.
- He sat down with his lame leg outstretched.
- He sat with his legs dangling off the bridge.
- He was shot in the leg by a sniper.
- He was wheeled out of the hospital with his leg in plaster.
- His legs buckled and he collapsed on the floor.
- I moved the chair away from the table so I could cross my legs.
- I was able to stand on my good leg.
- I'm getting my legs waxed tomorrow.
- It was good to get out of the car and stretch our legs.
- Leg extensions use the quadriceps muscles to extend the knee.
- Many birds are able to stand on one leg for hours at a time.
- She crossed the finish line on tired legs.
- She had her leg amputated below the knee.
- She sat with her legs drawn up underneath her.
- She started running, fat legs pumping.
- She stretched her legs under the table.
- She swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for her crutches.
- The dog lifted its leg against the lamp post.
- The dog sloped off, its tail between its legs.
- They don't train the day before a match to ensure they have fresh legs.
- They gazed at each other, their legs entwined under the table.
- They made him put his hands on the police car and spread his legs.
- They ran together, their legs moving in unison.
- a fine pair of legs
- an injury to his upper leg
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- left
- right
- front
- …
- pair
- bend
- brace
- straighten
- …
- move
- flail
- kick
- …
- exercise
- muscle
- cramp
- …
- between the/your legs
- in the leg
- on the/your leg
- …
- your leg in a cast
- your leg in plaster
- [countable, uncountable] the leg of an animal, especially the top part, cooked and eaten
- Have you ever tried frogs' legs?
- chicken legs
- leg of something roast leg of lamb
- [countable] the part of a pair of trousers that covers the leg
- a trouser/pant leg
- He rolled up the legs of his jeans.
- in the leg These jeans are too long in the leg.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- pant
- trouser
- pull up
- roll up
- roll down
- …
- long in the leg
- short in the leg
- [countable] one of the long thin parts on the bottom of a table, chair, etc. that support it
- a table/chair leg
- He tripped over the leg of the chair.
- /ˈleɡɪd/, /leɡd//ˈleɡɪd/, /leɡd/(in adjectives) having the number or type of legs mentioned
- a three-legged stool
- a long-legged insect
- [countable] leg (of something) one part of a journey or race synonym section, stage
- The final leg of the trip was by donkey.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: other sportsc2- Hopefully, the next leg of the race will feature fewer icebergs and more dolphins.
- We were on the last leg of our journey.
- The fastest runner often runs the anchor leg (= the last part) of a relay race.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- first
- second
- etc.
- …
- on the… leg
- [countable] (British English) one of a pair of matches played between the same opponents in a sports competition, which together form a single round (= stage) of the competition
- The Spanish team won the third leg.
- I really believe we can turn around that 4–2 first leg deficit and win this game.
part of body
meat
of trousers/pants
of table/chair
-legged
of journey/race
sports game
Word OriginMiddle English (superseding shank): from Old Norse leggr (compare with Danish læg ‘calf (of the leg)’), of Germanic origin.
Idioms
as fast as your legs can carry you
- as quickly as you can
be on your/its last legs
- to be going to die or stop functioning very soon; to be very weak or in bad condition
break a leg!
- (informal) used to wish somebody good luck, especially to an actor before they go on stage
cost/pay an arm and a leg
- (informal) to cost/pay a lot of money
get your leg over
- (British English, informal) (of a man) to have sex
have legs
- (informal) if you say that a news story, etc. has legs, you mean that people will continue to be interested in it for a long time
not have a leg to stand on
- (informal) to be in a position where you are unable to prove something or explain why something is reasonable
- Without written evidence, we don't have a leg to stand on.
pull somebody’s leg
- (informal) to play a joke on somebody, usually by making them believe something that is not true
shake a leg
- (old-fashioned, informal) used to tell somebody to start to do something or to hurry
stretch your legs
- (informal) to go for a short walk after sitting for some time
- It was good to get out of the car and stretch our legs.
talk the hind legs off a donkey
- (informal) to talk too much, especially about things that are boring or not important
with your tail between your legs
- (informal) feeling ashamed or unhappy because you have been defeated or punished