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three-legged

American  
[three-leg-id, -legd] / ˈθriˈlɛg ɪd, -ˈlɛgd /

adjective

  1. having three legs.

    a three-legged stool.

  2. 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

And so I think of accountability as kind of a three-legged stool.

From Slate • Sep. 7, 2024

For Syburg, the way forward for farmers looks like a three-legged stool of a business plan: seed, animal feed and food.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2024

There are no dancing rats or singing sharks in this one, but there is a three-legged dog named Legend.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2024

For a moment he stood under the three-legged stool, letting his eyes get used to the darkness.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden

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.