# lame

/ˈɫeɪm/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lame
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. uncool or boring

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

boring, uncool, or not very good. You use this when you think something is disappointing or socially awkward.

For teachers: socially inadequate, uninteresting, or pathetic. This sense is highly informal and often used to dismiss something as being of poor quality or lacking style.

- That movie was so lame that we left before it even finished.
- He tried to make a joke to impress the group, but it was so lame that everyone just looked at him in silence.

Teaching tip: While very common in casual speech, some people find this usage insensitive because it stems from a physical disability.

### 2. unconvincing

adjective · CEFR B2

weak or difficult to believe, especially when used to describe an excuse.

For teachers: weak and unconvincing; lacking the necessary force or evidence to be effective.

- He gave a lame excuse about his alarm clock not going off.
- The company issued a rather lame apology that failed to address the actual concerns of the customers.

### 3. physically impaired

adjective · CEFR B2

unable to walk properly because of an injury or problem with the leg or foot.

For teachers: having a physical disability that prevents normal walking or movement of the limbs.

- The horse went lame after stepping on a sharp stone during the race.
- The vet examined the dog to determine why it had suddenly gone lame in its front left paw.

Teaching tip: In modern English, using this to describe a person is often considered offensive or dated; it is more commonly applied to animals like horses today.

### 4. to injure

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to cause a person or animal to become unable to walk properly.

For teachers: to render a person or animal lame through injury or physical trauma.

- The accident threatened to lame him for the rest of his life.
- A poorly fitted shoe can easily lame a horse if the rider is not attentive to the animal's gait.

### 5. bread scoring tool

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a special tool with a sharp blade used to cut the top of bread dough before it is baked.

For teachers: a thin, sharp blade used by bakers to score the surface of bread dough to control its expansion during baking.

- She used a sharp lame to create a beautiful leaf pattern on the sourdough loaf.
- Professional bakers prefer using a curved lame for baguettes to achieve the perfect 'ear' as the crust expands in the oven.

Usage: Pronounced like 'lahm' to distinguish it from the adjective sense.

### 6. armor plate

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

a thin plate of metal used in a suit of armor.

For teachers: a thin plate or scale of metal, particularly one of several used in a suit of flexible plate armor.

- The knight's armor was made of several overlapping lames to allow for movement.
- The museum conservator carefully cleaned each individual lame of the sixteenth-century pauldrons to prevent further corrosion.

## Examples

- That is such a lame excuse for being late.
- I decided to leave the party early because the music was lame and nobody was dancing.
- While the special effects in the film were impressive, the plot was remarkably lame, relying on tired tropes and predictable dialogue that failed to engage the audience.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.