bowlegged
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
If a person is bowlegged, he or she suffers from a condition that causes the thigh bones to curve out instead of being straight. Some people look temporarily bowlegged after riding a horse. The adjective bowlegged can describe a medical condition and also a habit of standing in a certain posture. There are some causes of being bowlegged that can be treated, especially in childhood. Often toddlers who are new to walking stand in a bowlegged position — this is rarely serious, and it corrects itself as their legs get stronger. The word bowlegged comes from the way the legs curve, in the shape of a bow.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There's no room for Garrincha either, the dazzling bowlegged Brazilian winger, or Roberto Baggio, a true Italian icon, and France striker Just Fontaine, who netted 13 in the 1958 tournament alone.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
He described Shorty thus: “He was bowlegged as a wish bone you could walk a pony through.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2022
A few years ago, Harbor was an uncoordinated kid with imperfections: asthma, a bowlegged gait and a lazy eye.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2022
He swaggered in — bowlegged, a slight limp — and stuffed my box into a large canvas bag.
From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2021
From down the hallway, a doorway opened and a black woman watched in silence as the dark-haired, bowlegged white lady talked to the closed door.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
