three-legged
Americanadjective
-
having three legs.
a three-legged stool.
-
Informal. (of a schooner) having three masts.
Etymology
Origin of three-legged
First recorded in 1590–1600
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.
“It’s like a three-legged stool supporting the market today,” said Shannon Saccocia, chief investment officer of wealth at Neuberger Berman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Here’s why: Visualize your retirement as a three-legged stool.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 27, 2026
In another enclosure, Mozart, a three-legged gray fox with no spleen, peered warily from a tunnel of corrugated tubing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2024
Then add in the role of the media—it’s a three-legged stool, as far as I’m concerned: legislatures responsive to majorities, independent courts, and a free press.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2024
The trance was supposed to be caused by a vapor rising from a deep cleft in the rock over which her seat was placed, a three-legged stool, the tripod.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
