lame
adjective · verb · noun
Simple meaning
Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
laymIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈleɪm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
colloquial
Unconvincing or unbelievable.
especially of an animal
Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs.
colloquial
Uncool, uninteresting, or unfunny.
verb
transitive
To cause (a person or animal) to become lame.
noun
A thin layer or plate of material, as in certain kinds of armor.
in the plural
A set of joined overlapping metal plates.
A kitchen tool for scoring bread dough before baking.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
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More ways to use lame
- “She wore a gold lame dress.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An elected official still in office but not slated to continue.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.