akimbo
Americanadjective
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with hand on hip and elbow bent outward.
to stand with arms akimbo.
-
(of limbs) splayed out in an awkward or ungainly manner.
After the strenuous hike, she sat on the floor with her legs akimbo.
-
(of limbs) fully extended in opposite directions.
The dancer warmed up with his arms and legs stretched akimbo.
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to one side; askew; awry: He woke up from his nap, hair akimbo.
They wore their hats akimbo.
He woke up from his nap, hair akimbo.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of akimbo
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English in kenebowe, from unattested Old Norse i keng boginn “bent into a crook” ( i “in,” keng, accusative of kengr “hook,” boginn, past participle of bjūga “to bend”)
Explanation
When you put your hands on your hips and your elbows are sticking out, your arms are akimbo, like when you stand in the bathroom, arms akimbo while yelling, “Who left the toilet seat up?” The adjective akimbo, pronounced "uh-KIM-bo," comes from the Middle English phrase in kenebowe, which meant “at a sharp angle" — a good description for how your arms look when, elbows bent, you have your hands on your hips. Legs can also be akimbo, like when you do a cartwheel or fall down while skiing, your arms and legs sprawling in positions that can best be described as akimbo.
Vocabulary lists containing akimbo
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Strike A Pose: Positions and Posture
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Little Fires Everywhere
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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.
Only the huge boots and akimbo shirt collar remind viewers of his frontier background.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Morgan has Olson’s wry delivery, but she’s not pratfalling, gangly limbs akimbo.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2025
A beat kicks in, and three women stand arms akimbo, bouncing their hips like a Motown girl group.
From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2023
You won’t find anything akimbo with this Kimberly.
From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2022
Now fatigued, the astronaut stood with arms akimbo, looking up at the sleek lines of the engineering marvel before him.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
