limp

1
[ limp ]
/ lɪmp /

verb (used without object)

to walk with a labored, jerky movement, as when lame.
to proceed in a lame, faltering, or labored manner: His writing limps from one cliché to another. The old car limped along.
to progress slowly and with great difficulty; make little or no advance: an economy that limps along at a level just above total bankruptcy.

noun

a lame movement or gait: The accident left him with a slight limp.

Origin of limp

1
1560–70; back formation from obsolete limphault lame; Old English lemphealt limping (see halt2); akin to Middle High German limpfen to limp

OTHER WORDS FROM limp

limp·er, noun limp·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for limp (2 of 2)

limp 2
[ limp ]
/ lɪmp /

adjective, limp·er, limp·est.

lacking stiffness or firmness, as of substance, fiber, structure, or bodily frame: a limp body.
lacking vitality; weary; tired; fatigued: Limp with exhaustion, she dropped into the nearest chair.
without firmness, force, energy, etc., as of character: limp, spiritless prose.
flexible; not stiff or rigid: a Bible in a limp leather binding.

Origin of limp

2
1700–10; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Icelandic limpa slackness, limpilegur soft, flabby

OTHER WORDS FROM limp

limp·ly, adverb limp·ness, noun

Example sentences from the Web for limp

British Dictionary definitions for limp (1 of 2)

limp 1
/ (lɪmp) /

verb (intr)

to walk with an uneven step, esp with a weak or injured leg
to advance in a labouring or faltering manner

noun

an uneven walk or progress

Derived forms of limp

limper, noun limping, adjective, noun limpingly, adverb

Word Origin for limp

C16: probably a back formation from obsolete limphalt lame, from Old English lemphealt; related to Middle High German limpfen to limp

British Dictionary definitions for limp (2 of 2)

limp 2
/ (lɪmp) /

adjective

not firm or stiff
not energetic or vital
(of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards

Derived forms of limp

limply, adverb limpness, noun

Word Origin for limp

C18: probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Icelandic limpa looseness

Medical definitions for limp

limp
[ lĭmp ]

n.

An irregular, jerky, or awkward gait; a claudication.

v.

To walk lamely, especially with irregularity, as if favoring one leg.