akimbo
Americanadjective
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with hand on hip and elbow bent outward.
to stand with arms akimbo.
-
(of limbs) splayed out in an awkward or ungainly manner.
After the strenuous hike, she sat on the floor with her legs akimbo.
-
(of limbs) fully extended in opposite directions.
The dancer warmed up with his arms and legs stretched akimbo.
-
to one side; askew; awry: He woke up from his nap, hair akimbo.
They wore their hats akimbo.
He woke up from his nap, hair akimbo.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of akimbo
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English in kenebowe, from unattested Old Norse i keng boginn “bent into a crook” ( i “in,” keng, accusative of kengr “hook,” boginn, past participle of bjūga “to bend”)
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.
“Lay an egg, lay an egg, lay an egg!” her brothers teased as they watched her sink low, knees akimbo.
From Literature
For Season 1, he gave Mark S. that burden, except Mark is holding a group of other Marks, limbs akimbo.
From Los Angeles Times
A beat kicks in, and three women stand arms akimbo, bouncing their hips like a Motown girl group.
From New York Times
The comedian then proceeds to hop ecstatically across the stage with one leg akimbo: “That song was penned with a toucan’s beak dipped in ink while riding a zebra side-saddle.”
From Los Angeles Times
The flair stems largely from his figure’s tilted bowler hat and its somewhat akimbo power pose.
From New York Times
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.
