limb

¹ American  

[lim] / lɪm /

noun

1. a part or member of an animal body distinct from the head and trunk, as a leg, arm, or wing.

   the lower limbs;

   artificial limbs.

   Synonyms:

   extremity

2. a large or main branch of a tree.

3. a projecting part or member.

   the four limbs of a cross.

4. a person or thing regarded as a part, member, branch, offshoot, or scion of something.

   a limb of the central committee.

5. Archery. the upper or lower part of a bow.

6. Informal. a mischievous child, imp, or young scamp.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cut the limbs from (a felled tree).

idioms

1. out on a limb, in a dangerous or compromising situation; vulnerable.

   The company overextended itself financially and was soon out on a limb.

limb ² American  

[lim] / lɪm /

noun

1. Astronomy. the edge of the disk of the sun, a moon, or a planet.

2. the graduated edge of a quadrant or similar instrument.

3. Botany.

   1. the upper spreading part of a gamopetalous corolla.

   2. the expanded portion of a petal, sepal, or leaf.

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limb ¹ British  

/ lɪm /

noun

1. the edge of the apparent disc of the sun, a moon, or a planet

2. a graduated arc attached to instruments, such as the sextant, used for measuring angles

3. botany

   1. the expanded upper part of a bell-shaped corolla

   2. the expanded part of a leaf, petal, or sepal

4. either of the two halves of a bow

5. Also called: fold limb. either of the sides of a geological fold

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limb ² British  

/ lɪm /

noun

1. an arm or leg, or the analogous part on an animal, such as a wing

2. any of the main branches of a tree

3. a branching or projecting section or member; extension

4. a person or thing considered to be a member, part, or agent of a larger group or thing

5. a mischievous child (esp in limb of Satan or limb of the devil )

6. 1. in a precarious or questionable position

   2. isolated, esp because of unpopular opinions

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verb

1. (tr) a rare word for dismember

limb Scientific  

/ lĭm /

1. One of the appendages of an animal, such as an arm of a starfish, the flipper of dolphins, or the arm and leg of a human, used for locomotion or grasping.

2. The expanded tip of a plant organ, such as a petal or corolla lobe.

3. The circumferential edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body.

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limb More Idioms  

1. see out on a limb; risk life and limb.

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Synonym Usage

See branch.

Other Word Forms

• limbless
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of limb¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English lim, lim(m)e, Old English lim; akin to Old Norse lim “small branches, foliage,” limr “limb, joint (of meat),” līmi “broom (of twigs), rod,” Latin līmus “askew, aslant,” līmen “transverse beam, threshold, lintel”; the spelling limb first appears at the end of the 16th century, probably influenced by limb ² ( def. )

Origin of limb²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English limbe, from Old French limbe, and Latin limbus limbus ²; see also limbo ¹ ( def. )

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Explanation

Willing to pay an arm and a leg for those World Series tickets? Then you're willing to give up two of your limbs for the season's biggest baseball games. Arms, legs, wings, flippers — these are all examples of limbs. But we shouldn't leave out the trees. They've got plenty of large branches or limbs as well. In fact, when you expose yourself to potentially negative consequences in order to help someone else, it's called "going out on a limb" — like crawling out on a big tree branch. Not a flipper.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limb

When researchers examined the dinosaur's limb bones, they identified numerous mineralized red blood cells inside vascular canals, the tiny passages that once contained blood vessels.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

Stories about actors risking life and limb to succeed became the thematic rallying call at this year’s TIFF.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

"I am regarded as independent now," he said, "and would only need their assistance if something went wrong, either with the prosthetic limb or the stump."

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

In an interview with David Rosenberg of Rosenberg Research, Gundlach relayed the story of a 100-year-old silver maple at his house in Buffalo, N.Y., that lost a giant limb, nearly hitting the chimney.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Here was somebody who had brought the art of skulduggery to the highest point of perfection, somebody, moreover, who was willing to risk life and limb in pursuit of her calling.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

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Related Words

• arm
• branch
• extremity
• leg
• stem
• wheel
• wing

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