limp

¹ American  

[limp] / lɪmp /

verb (used without object)

limps, present (3rd person singular) limped, past participle, past limping present participle

1. to walk with a labored, jerky movement, as when lame.

2. to proceed in a lame, faltering, or labored manner.

   His writing limps from one cliché to another. The old car limped along.

3. to progress slowly and with great difficulty; make little or no advance.

   an economy that limps along at a level just above total bankruptcy.

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noun

1. a lame movement or gait.

   The accident left him with a slight limp.

limp ² American  

[limp] / lɪmp /

adjective

limper, limpest

1. lacking stiffness or firmness, as of substance, fiber, structure, or bodily frame.

   a limp body.

   Synonyms:

   soft, flaccid, flabby

2. lacking vitality; weary; tired; fatigued.

   Limp with exhaustion, she dropped into the nearest chair.

   Synonyms:

   weak, feeble

3. without firmness, force, energy, etc., as of character.

   limp, spiritless prose.

   Synonyms:

   weak, feeble

4. flexible; not stiff or rigid.

   a Bible in a limp leather binding.

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limp ¹ British  

/ lɪmp /

verb

1. to walk with an uneven step, esp with a weak or injured leg

2. to advance in a labouring or faltering manner

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noun

1. an uneven walk or progress

limp ² British  

/ lɪmp /

adjective

1. not firm or stiff

2. not energetic or vital

3. (of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• limpness
  noun
• limpingly
  adverb
• limply
  adverb
• limper
  noun
• limping
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have limped
  perfect
• has limped
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is limping
  progressive 3rd person singular
• limps
  singular 3rd person
• am limping
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been limping
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• limping
  participle
• are limping
  progressive
• have been limping
  perfect progressive

Past

• had limped
  perfect
• was limping
  progressive singular
• had been limping
  perfect progressive
• limped
  simple
• limped
  participle
• were limping
  progressive plural

Future

• will limp
  simple
• will have limped
  perfect
• will be limping
  progressive
• will have been limping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of limp¹

1560–70; back formation from obsolete limphault lame; Old English lemphealt limping ( see halt ²); akin to Middle High German limpfen to limp

Origin of limp²

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

Explanation

If you walk unevenly, you have a limp. Maybe you pulled your hamstring at the annual Thanksgiving Day Football Showdown, or maybe one leg is three inches shorter than the other. Whatever the reason, if your gait is off kilter, you limp. You can have a limp (the noun), or you can limp (the verb), and both mean that for some reason your legs don’t work quite in synch. Limp can also be an adjective that means "not strong or firm," like your friends' limp response to your invitation to come help paint your house or when your hair looks limp, meaning it's just hanging, with no volume or style.

Example Sentences

In another, a limp man partly covered in a blanket was carried away in a stretcher.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

He said he then entered the bathroom and saw Nix cradling Andrea, who was "limp" and wrapped in a towel.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

It conjures something overly marinated, vaguely limp, sitting in the back of a deli case.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

Arsenal limp to semis but Arteta wanted fire - does style matter?

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Her arms became limp and Sam had to say "WAAAAAAAHHHH" very loudly—more loudly than usual—because he was afraid she would drop him on the floor.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• falter
• hobble
• hop
• shuffle
• stagger
• stumble
• waddle