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View synonyms for lame

lame

1

[ leym ]

adjective

, lam·er, lam·est.
  1. physically disabled, especially in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty:

    a lame racehorse.

  2. impaired or disabled through defect or injury:

    a lame arm.

  3. weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy:

    a lame excuse.

  4. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. awkward, dull, stupid, or uninteresting.
  5. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.


verb (used with object)

, lamed, lam·ing.
  1. to make lame or defective.

noun

  1. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a person who is out of touch with modern fads or trends, especially one who is unsophisticated.

lame

2

[ leym; French lam ]

noun

, Armor.
, plural lames [leym, l, a, m].
  1. any of a number of thin, overlapping plates composing a piece of plate armor, as a fauld, tasset, or gauntlet.

lamé

3

[ lah-mey, la-; French la-mey ]

noun

  1. an ornamental fabric in which metallic threads, as of gold or silver, are woven with silk, wool, rayon, or cotton.

lame

1

/ leɪm /

noun

  1. one of the overlapping metal plates used in armour after about 1330; splint
“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


lame

2

/ leɪm /

adjective

  1. disabled or crippled in the legs or feet
  2. painful or weak

    a lame back

  3. weak; unconvincing

    a lame excuse

  4. not effective or enthusiastic

    a lame try

  5. slang.
    conventional or uninspiring
“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

verb

  1. tr to make lame
“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

lamé

3

/ ˈlɑːmeɪ /

noun

    1. a fabric of silk, cotton, or wool interwoven with threads of metal
    2. ( as modifier )

      a gold lamé gown

“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
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Sensitive Note

Many speakers do not recognize or consider the connection between the medical and slang senses of lame . Nevertheless, using a term associated with injury or disability as a general insult is sometimes perceived as insensitive to or by people with disabilities.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈlamely, adverb
  • ˈlameness, noun
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Other Words From

  • lamely adverb
  • lameness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lame1

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and verb); Old English lama (adjective); cognate with Dutch lam, German lahm, Old Norse lami; akin to Lithuanian lúomas

Origin of lame2

1580–90; < Middle French < Latin lāmina a thin piece or plate

Origin of lame3

1920–25; < French, equivalent to lame lame 2 + < Latin -ātus -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lame1

C16: via Old French from Latin lāmina a thin plate, lamina

Origin of lame2

Old English lama; related to Old Norse lami, German lahm

Origin of lame3

from French, from Old French lame gold or silver thread, thin plate, from Latin lāmina thin plate
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Example Sentences

Just lame, fake-seeming "Thank you soooo much" nonsense, and an Amazon gift card.

In recent weeks, the lame-duck president has issued a rapid flurry of pardons to allies, friends and fellow Republicans, including full pardons to some who pleaded guilty to lying to federal law enforcement during the Russia investigation.

The analysis does not consider reelections or transitions between leaders within the same party, because the risk of anti-democratic actions or abuses of lame-duck power in those scenarios is relatively low.

While not a huge shift, this is the opposite of what typically happens in the lame-duck period.

Facebook apps make lame promises like this in exchange for access to the scads of personal information that Facebook already collects about you.

One of the most persistent myths in American politics is the media-fueled concept of the lame duck.

Almost every two-term president gets a pasting in the midterms, but Obama now faces lame-duck issues on an historic scale.

In the short term, any hopes for an active lame-duck session will rest on the results of the election, King said.

What he had created was a quick Web tool, but QuickWeb sounded lame, as if conjured up by a com­mittee at Microsoft.

Also, he gave a lame excuse: ‘I couldn't find a pic that expresses both sides.’

My head feels quite lame from so much practicing, the consequence, I suppose, of so much listening.

Next morning the hero of Wagram, lame from the effect of a kick from his horse, was summoned before the Emperor.

His donkey had gone lame, he abandoned it to the boys behind, he climbed in to drive with Lettice.

As she turned the corner, a lame child in a calico dress and torn hood staggered past her bent with the weight of a heavy basket.

Some one must have noticed that they were more apt to be lame after sitting on the cold ground while they were warm.

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