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, adverbWords nearby limp
limonene,
limonite,
limousin,
limousine,
limousine liberal,
limp,
limp wrist,
limp-wristed,
limpet,
limpid,
limpkin
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, nounExample 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, adverbWord 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, nounWord 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.