Break a Leg
idiom /breɪk ə lɛɡ/ — Good luck — especially in performance
Definition
A theatrical wish for good luck, said before a performance. Saying 'good luck' was considered bad luck in theatre superstition, so 'break a leg' emerged as the performer's blessing.
Beyond the definition
Break a leg carries the affection and nervous energy of the wings before a show. It's a wish shaped by community ritual — a word that exists only because language sometimes needs to walk backwards to arrive at what it means.
Origin & history
Theatre superstition: saying 'good luck' was considered bad luck. Possibly from the idea of bending the knee (leg) in a bow after success. Some trace it to Elizabethan theatre; others to the curtain 'leg' (a vertical panel).
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She whispered 'break a leg' before walking on stage, and meant every syllable.
Break a leg is the luck that arrives through the door of ritual.
Why do theatre people say break a leg? Because the stage demands its own language.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Break a Leg” when the meaning fits your context: A theatrical wish for good luck, said before a performance. Saying 'good luck' was considered bad luck in theatre superstition, so 'break a leg' emerged as the performer's blessing.
Synonyms
good luck, all the best, knock 'em dead
Antonyms
good luck (ironically)
Related words
Break a Leg vs good luck
Good luck is a standard, polite well-wish. 'Break a leg' is a specific theatrical superstition used to wish performers success while ironically tempting fate.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Orator on Stage Before Audience
An adult orator stands before a large, unseen audience, arms outstretched in an assertive, commanding gesture in sharp, bright lighting.
Before the orator speaks, one might wish them to 'break a leg'. This theatrical blessing is a superstition-based wish for good luck, acknowledging the performer's intensity and the high-stakes weight of their rhetoric as they prepare to stand on the stage and command the vast space.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Break a Leg" mean?
Break a Leg is idiom meaning: Good luck — especially in performance. A theatrical wish for good luck, said before a performance. Saying 'good luck' was considered bad luck in theatre superstition, so 'break a leg' emerged as the performer's blessing.
Where does the word "Break a Leg" come from?
Theatre superstition: saying 'good luck' was considered bad luck. Possibly from the idea of bending the knee (leg) in a bow after success. Some trace it to Elizabethan theatre; others to the curtain 'leg' (a vertical panel).