Meaning & use
break a leg
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
A traditional way to wish a performer good luck before a show, said instead of good luck.
Grammar: Used as an imperative with no change: break a leg.
Patterns
- break a leg
Break a leg tonight, you will be great!
Before the audition, her friends texted, break a leg.
The director grinned and told the cast to break a leg.
phrasetransitive
To suffer a fractured leg bone, used literally.
Grammar: Literal use takes your as in he broke his leg.
Patterns
- break your leg
He broke his leg skiing.
She broke her leg falling off the ladder.
Word forms
| third person singular | breaks a leg |
|---|---|
| past tense | broke a leg |
| -ing form | breaking a leg |
Common combinations
- tell someone to break a leg
- We told her to break a leg.
- break a leg tonight
- Break a leg tonight!
- break a leg out there
- Break a leg out there.
- actually break a leg
- He actually broke a leg skiing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- good luck
- Good luck is the plain wish and is thought unlucky among actors.
- knock them dead
- Knock them dead is an informal encouragement to perform brilliantly.
- best of luck
- Best of luck is more formal and general.
Commonly confused: break a leg or fracture?
break a leg vs fracture
Fracture is the medical word for a broken bone.
Practice
Before a play, a friend says break a leg. What is she wishing?
Choose one answer.
Break a leg is a theater wish of good luck, not a literal injury.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “break a leg”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.