calf

noun

Definition of calfnext
as in thigh
the muscular back part of the leg below the knee

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of calf After practice, the guard was seen with kinesiology tape snaking up his right calf while working on the court with assistant coaches. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 My right pants leg was gone and among the smaller cuts an ugly gash puckered at me from the calf. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026 The robotic massage will begin at your ankles, working its way up through your calves, hamstrings, glutes, and back. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026 More recently, a mother humpback and her calf swam into the Delta in 2007. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for calf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calf
  1. thigh
  2. shin
  3. shank
Noun
  • Jodar called for a trainer at 4-3 in the third set and had a massage on his right thigh.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The wounded included a man who had been shot in the thigh, according to WAFA, the official media arm of the Palestinian Authority.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of thigh
Noun
  • Instead, Allen was diagnosed with a bone bruise on his left shin and back within about a week.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In September of 1788, Hugh Maxwell took a fall in the woods and hurt his shin.
    — James Whorton Jr, Longreads, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of shin
Noun
  • In May, Cassius heard the nearby screams of Miami woman Caitlin Dydzuhn, who was walking her dog near her downtown condominium when she was brutally attacked by a man wielding a homemade shank.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Adobos, whether with three chiles or the lone suave guajillo chile, become life-giving purees for marinated fish, chicken and beef shank.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of shank

Browse Nearby Words

calendars
calf
calf-love
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Calf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All