leg up

noun

Synonyms of leg upnext
1
: a helping hand : boost
2
: head start

Synonyms of leg up

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Examples of leg up in a Sentence

a key endorsement that would give the struggling candidate a real leg up right now
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That direct link gives Wall Street a leg up over retail traders by delivering Truth Social posts split seconds faster than the public sees them. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 And yet each leg up in the market heightens the risk of more Situational Awareness-like squeezes, and of individualized distress giving way to a broader bust. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Her appointment to the role, instead of giving her a leg up over the competition, may ultimately hold her back by preventing her from getting to know voters during a weeks-long sprint to Tuesday. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026 Trump may gloat about the earnings, but that did nothing to address the very real national security concerns with handing our greatest adversary a leg up in the artificial intelligence race. — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for leg up

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of leg up was in 1871

Rhymes for leg up

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Browse Nearby Words

leguminous
leg up
leg warmer
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Cite this Entry

“Leg up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leg%20up. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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