leg-break
noun
a ball deviating to the off side from the leg side when bowled.
leg-break
American
[leg-breyk]
/ ˈlɛgˌbreɪk /
noun
Cricket.
leg break
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of leg-break
First recorded in 1885–90
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:
Vastly experienced leg-break bowler Adil Rashid leads the spin attack, with all-rounders Liam Dawson, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed giving Brook a range of slow-bowling options.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
Ahmed's second spell brought the special moment of his first wicket - left-hander Shakeel inside-edged a leg-break onto his pad and was well taken by a diving Ollie Pope at short leg.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2022
Hope was stumped off a ripping leg-break from Rashid for 20, but King was joined by Nicholas Pooran to complete a ruthless West Indies chase.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2022
No sooner do I type that, though, than Rashid sends a ripping leg-break past Hafeez’s edge.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 13, 2015
Every time it rained the old leg-break seemed to remember itself, and what it remembered was a dull hurt.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Brignone returned to action last week with a hugely impressive sixth place in the giant slalom at Kronplatz, her first race since suffering a double leg break in April last year.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
The two-weight UFC champion suggested he exited the pool to focus on recovering from the leg break, which was an option not previously open to fighters recovering from serious injuries.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2023
That greatly increases the risk of infection, as occurred with Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a gruesome leg break that, after subsequent infections, brought the risk of amputation and was life-threatening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2021
It was an emotional and amazing moment when Smith returned to the field in Week 5 after missing nearly two years following a horrifying leg break.
From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2020
Smith returned this year from a compound leg break for a $16 million paycheck.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2020
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.
