ankles

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of ankle.

   Years of dancing had left her ankles stiff and sore.

   The trainer wrapped the players' ankles before every match.

   Note

   A regular plural, formed with a simple -s, and it carries only the anatomical meaning: the joints where foot meets leg. The same spelling also serves the verb's present tense, so "she ankles" belongs to the verb, while "her ankles" is always the body part. A possessive or an article in front is the quickest way to tell them apart.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of ankle.

   The old man ankles along the boardwalk each morning at dawn.

   Whenever the bell rings, she ankles straight out the door.

   Note

   Two quite different verbs share this form. In slang it simply means walks, and it works with or without an object. Cyclists use it for a pedaling technique: a rider who ankles angles the foot through each revolution to put more work into the pedal. Keep the walking meaning for casual speech; the cycling meaning belongs to riders' vocabulary.

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