limp
1to 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.
a lame movement or gait: The accident left him with a slight limp.
Origin of limp
1Other words from limp
- limper, noun
- limp·ing·ly, adverb
Other definitions for limp (2 of 2)
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
2Other words for limp
Other words from limp
- limply, adverb
- limpness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use limp in a sentence
The man’s body appears limp in the video and he was taken to a hospital.
Still Can’t Breathe | by Topher Sanders, ProPublica, and Yoav Gonen, THE CITY, video by Lucas Waldron, ProPublica | January 21, 2021 | ProPublicaFor every business that has thrived during Covid-19, dozens of others are limping along or quietly winding down.
So your startup didn’t survive 2020. Five founders weigh in on what to do next | Jeremy Henrickson | January 13, 2021 | QuartzWide receiver Cooper Kupp, a crucial component of the Rams’ running game because of his blocking, tweaked his knee on a noncontact play in the final minutes and limped off.
What to know from NFL playoffs first round: Lamar Jackson wins and Tom Brady finds a way | Adam Kilgore | January 11, 2021 | Washington PostQuarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass, then headed to the locker room limping on an injured left knee.
Steelers stay unbeaten, Chargers drop another heartbreaker in NFL Week 9 | Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler | November 9, 2020 | Washington PostAs those horrid, beady eyes met hers, again she was seized with that strange sense of limpness, utter inability to move a muscle.
By Right of Conquest | Arthur Hornblow
An oath shrieked out and Bofinger, dropping his hold, sank back in the limpness of despair.
Max Fargus | Owen JohnsonMy arms were weak and of a strange, flabby limpness, but they moved.
The Firefly Of France | Marion Polk AngellottiEuropean society might let her in, but European society had its limpness.
Lady Barbarina | Henry JamesThere was an apple tree in view, too, with all its blossoms hanging in pink limpness.
The Story of Bawn | Katharine Tynan
British Dictionary definitions for limp (1 of 2)
/ (lɪmp) /
to walk with an uneven step, esp with a weak or injured leg
to advance in a labouring or faltering manner
an uneven walk or progress
Origin of limp
1Derived forms of limp
- limper, noun
- limping, adjective, noun
- limpingly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for limp (2 of 2)
/ (lɪmp) /
not firm or stiff
not energetic or vital
(of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards
Origin of limp
2Derived forms of limp
- limply, adverb
- limpness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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