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cross-legged

American  
[kraws-leg-id, -legd, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˈlɛg ɪd, -ˈlɛgd, ˈkrɒs- /

adjective

  1. having the legs crossed; having one leg placed across the other.


cross-legged British  
/ -ˈlɛɡd, ˈkrɒsˈlɛɡɪd /

adjective

  1. sitting with the legs bent and the knees pointing outwards

  2. standing or sitting with one leg crossed over the other

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of cross-legged

First recorded in 1520–30

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.

See Examples For:

Sitting cross-legged on a red carpet, artist Mohammad Younes Qane uses an ultra-fine paintbrush to trace details such as a horse's mane or the beads of a necklace.

From Barron's Feb. 4, 2026

She’s in a seventh-floor hotel suite overlooking Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, sitting cross-legged on the couch, leaning forward and clutching a green pillow in her lap.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 29, 2025

The agent wrote that Huerta was yelling at and taunting officers and later sat cross-legged in front of a vehicle gate to the location where law enforcement authorities were serving a search warrant.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 9, 2025

A 1,000 year-old human skeleton which was buried sitting cross-legged in India has been moved to a museum six years after it was excavated.

From BBC May 16, 2025

She sits cross-legged on the floor, her face an inch from the screen.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

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