limp

¹

[ limp ]

verb (used without object)

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.

noun

1. a lame movement or gait:

   The accident left him with a slight limp.

limp

²

[ limp ]

adjective

, limp·er, limp·est.

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.

limp

¹

/ 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

noun

1. an uneven walk or progress

limp

²

/ lɪmp /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

• ˈlimpingly, adverb
• ˈlimping, adjectivenoun
• ˈlimper, noun
• ˈlimpness, noun
• ˈlimply, adverb

Other Words From

• limper noun
• limping·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of limp¹

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

Origin of limp²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of limp¹

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

Origin of limp²

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

Example Sentences

Sometimes you just need a contraption that will quickly turn limp pieces of bread into crunchy, warm slices of perfection.

From Popular-Science

Last week, he was limping noticeably after a hit by the Steelers.

From Washington Post

Let the cabbage sit like this until limp and pliable, 30 minutes.

From Washington Post

Except they often have a slight limp on the other side of their body from where their hemisphere was removed.

From Nautilus

I’ve plunged several limp inflatable mats into my bathtub in search of streams of tiny bubbles, slapped synthetic patches over the holes, and yet still woken up in the middle of the night on my next trip with a rock jabbing me in the kidney.

From Outside Online

He felt his body grow limp (like one of those high-speed films of a flower wilting).

From The Daily Beast

Clean-shaven and balding, Saleem is in his forties and walks with a limp.

From The Daily Beast

To compound it, Rice then treats her limp form with what appears to be cold contempt.

From The Daily Beast

The charts now featured the likes of Limp Bizkit, a rap-metal band whose misogyny was so overt as to be comical.

From The Daily Beast

One leg of his green pajamas hung limp, empty below the knee.

From The Daily Beast

His head fell back limp on MacRae's arm, and the rest of the message went with the game old Dutchman across the big divide.

From Project Gutenberg

She had been walking alone with her arms hanging limp, letting her white skirts trail along the dewy path.

From Project Gutenberg

Very hot; very limp with the prevalent disease but greatly cheered up by the news of yesterday evening's battle at Helles.

From Project Gutenberg

Before we were entirely out of the crush of the city, the engine began to limp and shortly came to a stop.

From Project Gutenberg

The rider seemed as weak as the horse, for he swayed in the saddle as he rode, and the bridle reins hung limp in his hands.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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