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

Ahmed's second spell brought the special moment of his first wicket - left-hander Shakeel inside-edged a leg-break onto his pad and was well taken by a diving Ollie Pope at short leg.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2022

A horrific double leg-break sustained against PSV Eindhoven in September 2015 proved to be the last time Shaw would play under Van Gaal.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2021

Warne's Ball, a hard-spun leg-break to dismiss Mike Gatting on the third day of the Old Trafford Test, is still jarringly fresh even as it approaches its 20th birthday this Ashes summer.

From The Guardian • Apr. 29, 2013

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