Word.ws English Dictionary

dogleg

Syllables: dog·leg/ˈdɒɡlɛɡ//ˈdɔɡˌlɛɡ/

dogleg noun: a configuration of stairs where a flight ascends to a half-landing before turning 180 degrees and continuing upwards.

Noun

dogleg (plural doglegs)

  1. (also, attributive) A configuration of stairs where a flight ascends to a half-landing before turning 180 degrees and continuing upwards.
  2. (also, attributive, disc golf) A sharp bend in the fairway before reaching a hole.
  3. (US, also, attributive) A single intersection consisting of two opposing T-junctions in close proximity; an intersection with a staggered cross street.
    • The Q Street crossing of Wisconsin Avenue is an extreme example of such a location, the dog-leg itself being so long, about 150 feet, that in reality two T intersections exist.1962 May, Arthur A., Jr. Carter, Increasing the Traffic-Carrying Capability of Urban Arterial Streets: The Wisconsin Avenue Study, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Public Roads, page 39
    • At 4th Avenue and Korean Veterans Boulevard, the completion of Gateway Boulevard would correct the existing dog-leg intersection with Franklin Street.2009 July, Gateway Boulevard Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Washington, D.C.: Federal Highway Administration, page 3-6
    Synonyms:
    staggered crossroads, staggered junction

Verb

dogleg (third-person singular simple present doglegs, present participle doglegging, simple past and past participle doglegged)

  1. (intransitive) To bend in the shape of the hind leg of a dog, especially to turn and then turn back sharply to the original direction.
    • When the causeway doglegs and all of a sudden you spot sixteen roller coasters in the same place, it can take your breath away.2004 August 30, The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: New Yorker Magazine Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 48, column 2

Synonyms of dogleg

  • staggered crossroads
  • staggered junction

Forms of dogleg

Noun
pluraldoglegs
alternative formdog-leg
Verb
third-person singular presentdoglegs
present participledoglegging
past participledoglegged
pastdoglegged

Origin of dogleg

The noun is derived from dog + leg, referring to the shape of the hind leg of a dog. The verb is derived from the noun.

Questions about dogleg

What does dogleg mean?
Dogleg means a configuration of stairs where a flight ascends to a half-landing before turning 180 degrees and continuing upwards.
What part of speech is dogleg?
Dogleg can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce dogleg?
Dogleg is pronounced /ˈdɒɡlɛɡ/ (UK).
What is the plural of dogleg?
The plural of dogleg is doglegs.

Words near dogleg in the dictionary

  1. dogis
  2. dogitude
  3. dogkeeper
  4. dogkeepers
  5. dogkind
  6. dogleg
  7. doglegged
  8. doglegging
  9. doglegs
  10. dogless
  11. doglessly

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: dogleg (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-dogleg.wav, En-us-dogleg.oga.

Cite this entry: “dogleg.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dogleg. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.