get a leg up

verb

To get a boost or a lift.

“I can climb over the fence if I get a leg up from you.”

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Meanings

verbget a leg up (third-person singular simple present gets a leg up, present participle getting a leg up, simple past got a leg up, past participle (UK) got a leg up or (US) gotten a leg up)

present singular third person gets a leg up · participle present getting a leg up · past got a leg up · UK participle past got a leg up · US participle past gotten a leg up

  1. idiomaticTo get a boost or a lift.

    I can climb over the fence if I get a leg up from you.

  2. idiomaticTo gain some advantage; to get a head start.

    He hopes that all the extra advertising will allow him to get a leg up on the competition.

Translations

Dutch een stap voor zijn
  • een stap voor zijnTo gain some advantage; to get a head start.
Russian быть на шаг впереди, получить преимущество
  • быть на шаг впереди (bytʹ na šag vperedi)To gain some advantage; to get a head start.
  • получить преимущество (polučitʹ preimuščestvo)To gain some advantage; to get a head start.
Cite this entry
APA

get a leg up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20a%20leg%20up

MLA

“get a leg up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20a%20leg%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get a leg up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20a%20leg%20up.

Source: get a leg up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.