adj

lame

laym

adj

Unable to walk normally because of an injury or problem with the legs or feet.

"The horse went lame after stepping in a hole."

Weak, unconvincing, or poorly thought out.

"That's a pretty lame excuse for being late."

Informally, boring, uncool, or disappointing.

"He thought the party was lame and left early."

How to Use Lame

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishUnable to walk properly, or (informally) weak, unconvincing, or just plain uncool.

When to use it

The "uncool/boring" sense is informal slang; avoid it in formal writing, and be aware some people find using "lame" to mean "bad" insensitive given its literal disability meaning.

Common pairings

lame excuse go lame that's so lame

Word Forms

lamer comparative, lamed past tense, lames plural, lames plural, lames singular, lamest superlative

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The horse went _____ after stepping in a hole.

Etymology

From Old English lama ("lame"), a Germanic word originally meaning "broken" or "weakened."

Rhymes for lame

name came game dame same fame tame flame blame frame shame aflame

See all rhymes for lame →