leg-break
noun
a ball deviating to the off side from the leg side when bowled.
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slow-break.
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:
Only against leg-break bowling does his average tail off a little, but only to a still respectable 31.31, while he is prolific against the uncommon left-arm unorthodox spin, averaging 48.20.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
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
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, 35, finished sixth in the giant slalom in Kronplatz, Italy on Tuesday, nine months after suffering a double leg break which seriously damaged her Olympic hopes.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
It will not be the circumstances he would have chosen, but Zander Clark will be thrust into the spotlight following Saturday's horrific leg break suffered by Hearts and Scotland number one Craig Gordon.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2022
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.
