three-legged
Americanadjective
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having three legs.
a three-legged stool.
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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.
Here’s why: Visualize your retirement as a three-legged stool.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026
Trio is a three-legged dog; Jolene, I believe, is in a wheelchair.
From Salon • Feb. 9, 2025
And so I think of accountability as kind of a three-legged stool.
From Slate • Sep. 7, 2024
Billy Joel was grateful for her attention to his three-legged black pug; Cher, less so, after her rescue dog was diagnosed with sarcoptic mange, contagious between species.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
On a three-legged stool sat the Oracle—a shriveled female mummy in a tie-dyed dress.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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.
