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leg-break

American

[leg-breyk] / ˈlɛgˌbreɪk /

noun

Cricket.

a ball deviating to the off side from the leg side when bowled.

leg break British

noun

cricket a bowled ball that spins from leg to off on pitching

"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 leg-break

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

Vastly experienced leg-break bowler Adil Rashid leads the spin attack, with all-rounders Liam Dawson, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed giving Brook a range of slow-bowling options.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Abrar Ahmed produced a fizzing leg-break to dismiss Shubman Gill for 46 with a beauty although it only staved off the inevitable.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2025

First she had Raj expertly stumped with a fizzing leg-break before, from the very next ball, Richa Ghosh was bamboozled by a googly that rocked back her off stump.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2022

The Manchester United player appears to have suffered a sickening leg-break and we wish him well.

From The Guardian • Sep. 15, 2015

Every time it rained the old leg-break seemed to remember itself, and what it remembered was a dull hurt.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023