What does "ledge" mean?
A narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.
Ledge
/lɛd͡ʒ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.
- Grammar: ledge is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: shelf, band, bank, beam-end.
- Useful contrasts: base, bottom.
- Usage evidence: The fall from the ledge shattered his leg.
How to use "ledge"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ledge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ledge" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ledge" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ledge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ledge" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "shelf" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ledge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.
"Let me help you tie the rope around your neck / Let me help to talk you the wrong way off the ledge / Let me help you hold the Glock against your head"
- 2 Alternative form of lege (“a legend; a person held in high regard”). alt-of, alternative, slang
"http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/pete-jenson-adebayors-fresh-start-means-hard-work-short-hair-ndash-and-vital-goals-2263767.html, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/8605605/Andy-Murray-v-Feliciano-Lopez-at-Wimbledon-2011-as-it-happened.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20121109021139/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19083758"
- 3 A provincial or territorial legislature building. Canada, slang
"Known to Edmontonians as "the Ledge", the Alberta Legislature Building is a marvel of marble pillars, carved oak, beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture and stunning grounds."
- 4 a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water wordnet
- 5 A shelf on which articles may be laid.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A provincial or territorial legislative assembly. Canada, slang
- 7 A shelf, ridge, or reef, of rocks.
- 8 A layer or stratum.
- 9 A lode; a limited mass of rock bearing valuable mineral.
- 10 A (door or window) lintel.
- 11 A cornice.
- 12 A piece of timber to support the deck, placed athwartship between beams.
Verb
- 1 To cause to have, or to develop, a ledge (during mining, canal construction, building, etc). uncommon
"[...] preparation must not remove excess dentine from the canal, and care must be taken not to ledge the canal walls."
Example
"The fall from the ledge shattered his leg."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ledge"?
Common synonyms include: shelf, band, bank, beam-end, bed, bedding.
How do you use "ledge" in a sentence?
The fall from the ledge shattered his leg.
How do you pronounce "ledge"?
Pronounced /lɛd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English legge, from Old English leċġ (“bar, crossbeam”), from Proto-West Germanic *laggju (“layer, strip, ledge, rung, bar”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjō (“layer, stratum”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, recline”). Cognate with West Frisian lêch (“a layer of sheaves on a threshing floor”), Dutch leg (“layer”), German Low German Legg (“wrinkle, fold, flat layer, stratum”), Middle High German legge, lecke (“position, layer, stratum, tier; pleat, hem”). Related to Middle English leggen (“to lay, apply”), from Old English leċġan (“to lay”); and Old English *ġeleċġ (“positioning, arrangement, layout”) as in Old English limġeleċġ (“the disposition of the limbs, form, shape”). More at lay.
Etymology 2
Shortening of legislature.