luge
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Usage
What does luge mean? Luge is a sport in which racers ride a sled (also called a luge) feetfirst down an ice-covered chute with the goal of reaching the finish line as quickly as possible. The sport is sometimes also called luge sledding. Luge is an event in the Winter Olympics. It has traditionally featured solo racers, but there are also doubles luge events, in which two racers ride on the same sled, and relay events. Luge is known as one of the sliding sports, along with skeleton and bobsleigh (also called bobsled), which take place on a similar course. In luge, racers ride on their backs, in contrast with skeleton, in which racers lie on their stomachs. Luge is known for its high speeds, often exceeding 80 mph (129 km/h). Luging is also sometimes done on natural courses. Example: Luge is one of my favorite winter sports to watch because each run lasts only minutes.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of luge
Borrowed into English from dialectal French around 1900–05
Explanation
A luge is a small sled that's designed to go very fast. This is the type of sled you would ride in the Olympics, not in your neighborhood park. A luge is a small toboggan made for one or two riders, and you ride it either sitting with your legs outstretched or lying down on your back. You steer a luge using your calves, by applying pressure to one side or another, and by rolling your shoulders from side to side. Luge racing is a competitive sport that's included in the Winter Olympics, and "to luge" means to speed down a snowy hill on a luge. The word luge comes from the Latin sludia, or "sled."
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:
Germany's Felix Loch competes in the men's luge.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
And you can expect to hear Das Deutschlandlied played on an endless loop again in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the luge competition gets underway Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
Another Olympic Village, this one temporary and consisting of 377 mobile homes, has been built in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the venue for the women's alpine skiing and curling events, as well as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
No one was going to care what was on my feet at a wedding in a community center with an ice luge!
From Slate ● May 12, 2024
Skates were well-behaved old horses compared to these long, untamed fiends, and a luge was like a tricycle.
From The Card, a Story of Adventure in the Five Towns by Bennett, Arnold
Hibbert felt in perfect health, worked hard, ski-d, skated, luged, and at night danced fairly often—in spite of his decision.
From Four Weird Tales by Blackwood, Algernon
When he "ski-d," "luged," or danced in the evenings, and especially when he skated on the little rink, he was aware that the eyes of his mind forever sought this strange companion of the night.
From Four Weird Tales by Blackwood, Algernon
On that darkest of his luging days, he said, he could never have expected what was coming next.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2018
You see, this so-called luge federation provided Shiva with virtually no financial assistance, forcing him to pay for luging essentials out of his own pocket.
From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2014
The author, luging with a “laughable” head position.
From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2014
He then takes her to a winter wonderland for some light luging and hot tubbing.
From Time ● Jan. 14, 2014
Maddening if a thaw comes before the luging competition.
From Greatheart by Dell, Ethel M. (Ethel May)
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.
