limb
1a part or member of an animal body distinct from the head and trunk, as a leg, arm, or wing: the lower limbs;artificial limbs.
a large or main branch of a tree.
a projecting part or member: the four limbs of a cross.
a person or thing regarded as a part, member, branch, offshoot, or scion of something: a limb of the central committee.
Archery. the upper or lower part of a bow.
Informal. a mischievous child, imp, or young scamp.
to cut the limbs from (a felled tree).
Idioms about limb
out on a limb, in a dangerous or compromising situation; vulnerable: The company overextended itself financially and was soon out on a limb.
Origin of limb
1synonym study For limb
Other words for limb
Other words from limb
- limb·less, adjective
Words that may be confused with limb
- limb , limn
Words Nearby limb
Other definitions for limb (2 of 2)
Astronomy. the edge of the disk of the sun, a moon, or a planet.
the graduated edge of a quadrant or similar instrument.
Botany.
the upper spreading part of a gamopetalous corolla.
the expanded portion of a petal, sepal, or leaf.
Origin of limb
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use limb in a sentence
They’ve got an extra set of limbs — two human arms plus four horse legs.
The reps are performed slowly, taking ten seconds up and ten seconds down, without locking the limbs or resting at the top or bottom of the motion.
The Data Behind a Once-a-Week Strength Routine | Alex Hutchinson | February 2, 2021 | Outside OnlineJust wrap it around a green limb bent into a circle and face it into the sun.
The life-saving space blanket has humble origins | By Keith McCafferty/Field & Stream | January 21, 2021 | Popular-ScienceA 2019 meta-analysis found no benefits to muscle strength, and another 2019 meta-analysis found benefits to upper limb but not lower limb muscle strength.
Her hair’s a mess, her limbs are streaked with blood, and there’s a ball-busting steeliness in her eyes.
Promising Young Woman Starts with a Cathartic Blast. Then It Gets Bogged Down With Cynicism | Stephanie Zacharek | January 15, 2021 | Time
Inevitably, the old visceral “hands-on” flying skills, no longer much employed by pilots, have atrophied like an unused limb.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly? | Clive Irving | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTMating with a cousin or brother is safer than risking life and limb to mate with an outsider.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family | Helen Thompson | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“We can do anything here from open heart surgery to limb amputations,” he says.
Behind the Scenes With a ‘Site Agent’: The Secret Service’s Hardest Job | Marc Ambinder | October 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSome might want to be the star, others to direct, but it takes a special breed to want to risk life and limb as a stuntman.
Amateur Stuntmen, the iPhone 6, and More Viral Videos | Jack Holmes | August 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo now, keeping all that in mind, how many Afghans do you think risked life and limb to cast their ballot?
Would You Risk Your Life to Vote? It Looks Like 7 Million Afghans Did. | Dean Obeidallah | April 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe secretary trembled in his every limb; his eyes shunned his master's as his master's had shunned Garnache's awhile ago.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini"You have give a limb," repeated Perry, emphasizing the announcement by shaking his finger at the old man.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydThose in favor of hanging carried the day, so he was led under the projecting limb of a tree and a rope placed around his neck.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnScattergood, with great show of solicitude, dispatched a youngster to the deacon's house for his extra limb.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandIt was such a partition as is effected by hacking a living man limb from limb.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
British Dictionary definitions for limb (1 of 2)
/ (lɪm) /
an arm or leg, or the analogous part on an animal, such as a wing
any of the main branches of a tree
a branching or projecting section or member; extension
a person or thing considered to be a member, part, or agent of a larger group or thing
mainly British a mischievous child (esp in limb of Satan or limb of the devil)
out on a limb
in a precarious or questionable position
British isolated, esp because of unpopular opinions
(tr) a rare word for dismember
Origin of limb
1Derived forms of limb
- limbless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for limb (2 of 2)
/ (lɪm) /
the edge of the apparent disc of the sun, a moon, or a planet
a graduated arc attached to instruments, such as the sextant, used for measuring angles
botany
the expanded upper part of a bell-shaped corolla
the expanded part of a leaf, petal, or sepal
either of the two halves of a bow
Also called: fold limb either of the sides of a geological fold
Origin of limb
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for limb
[ lĭm ]
One of the appendages of an animal, such as an arm of a starfish, the flipper of dolphins, or the arm and leg of a human, used for locomotion or grasping.
The expanded tip of a plant organ, such as a petal or corolla lobe.
The circumferential edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with limb
see out on a limb; risk life and limb.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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