three-legged race

noun

: a race between pairs of competitors with each pair having their adjacent legs bound together

Examples of three-legged race in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Other events over the course of the weekend include a boat parade and a traditional parade, contests like a three-legged race, tug-of-war and a Blackwater Railroad Company pop-up show at 4 p.m. Monday. — Naomi Stock, Anchorage Daily News, 3 July 2022 But as you haven’t been introduced to this guy, let your girlfriend show him the ropes — to take this rodeo metaphor to its dusty death. Challenge them to a three-legged race. — Anna Pulley, chicagotribune.com, 19 Apr. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of three-legged race was in 1872

Rhymes for three-legged race

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three-legged race
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Cite this Entry

“Three-legged race.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/three-legged%20race. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

three-legged race

noun
ˈthrē-ˈleg-əd-,
-ˈlegd-
: a race between pairs of competitors with each partner having one leg tied to the adjoining leg of the other partner
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