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Synonyms

legwork

American  
[leg-wurk] / ˈlɛgˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. work or research involving extensive walking or traveling about, usually away from one's office, as in gathering data for a book, a legal action, etc.

  2. action of the legs as executed by an athlete, dancer, etc.

legwork British  
/ ˈlɛɡˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. informal work that involves travelling on foot or as if on foot

"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

Etymology

Origin of legwork

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; leg + work

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.

But it isn’t straightforward, and it will require legwork.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 14, 2025

Without doing the legwork about what ongoing volunteer roles get you into, Edelstein warns, “you can really get involved very quickly and deeper than you ever expected—in something that may not appeal to you.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

While lawyers and their staff do much of the legwork for trial preparation, a client works with their attorneys to help formulate a defense.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2025

The Netflix film pushes into the foreground some of those who make the news but don't make the news - the behind-the-scenes producers and those who do the legwork of booking guests.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2024

Did he not do all of Willoughby’s legwork?

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

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.