Meaning & use
foreleg
Last updated
UK/ˈfɔː.leɡ/
US/ˈfɔːr.leɡ/
Meaning
nouncountable
One of the two front legs of an animal that walks on four legs.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural to refer to both front legs.
Patterns
- a foreleg of an animal
- the animal's forelegs
The horse injured its left foreleg during the race.
A spider uses its forelegs to grab prey.
The dog held up its foreleg, waiting for a treat.
Word forms
| plural | forelegs |
|---|
Common combinations
- front foreleg
- The front foreleg was bandaged after the fall.
- injured foreleg
- The vet examined the injured foreleg carefully.
- raise a foreleg
- The horse raised a foreleg in greeting.
- foreleg injury
- A foreleg injury kept the dog out of the show.
Synonyms and how they differ
- front leg
- A general term used for any animal, including humans; 'foreleg' is more technical and usually refers to quadrupeds.
Opposites
hind leg
Word family
- leg noun
- The general term for a limb used for walking.
Commonly confused: foreleg or hind leg?
foreleg vs hind leg
Hind leg refers to the back legs of a four-legged animal, while foreleg refers to the front ones.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'foreleg' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Foreleg' refers to the front leg of a four-legged animal, so a cat licking its front leg is correct. Birds, snakes, and fish do not have forelegs in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foreleg”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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