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Synonyms

three-legged race

American  

noun

  1. a race among a number of paired contestants, each contestant having one leg tied to the adjacent leg of their partner.


three-legged race British  

noun

  1. a race in which pairs of competitors run with their adjacent legs tied together

"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 three-legged race

First recorded in 1900–05


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:

At the 1992 Town Picnic in Chernobyl, Ukraine, the three-legged race was won for the first time by a single person.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2020

“It’s a three-legged race with the contestants going in opposite directions.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2018

It’s as if they imagine collaborative fiction as a kind of three-legged race: goofy and fun at an office picnic, but ill suited to a serious runner.

From Salon ● May 25, 2015

MasterChef The young chefs attempt to bake while in a three-legged race.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2014

Years later, they laughed to see the girls, Mona and Callie, in a three-legged race.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

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