Meaning & use
lame
Last updated
Unable to walk normally because of an injury or problem with a leg or foot, or, informally, weak, unconvincing, or lacking in excitement.
See it in a sentence
The horse went lame after stepping in a hole.
He gave a lame excuse for missing the meeting.
A note on using this word
The literal sense describing an injured leg is now somewhat dated and can sound insensitive; the informal sense meaning 'boring or weak' is far more common in everyday speech.
Words with a similar meaning
unconvincingfeeble
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lame”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.