nimble
Americanadjective
adjective
-
agile, quick, and neat in movement
nimble fingers
-
alert; acute
a nimble intellect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nimble
First recorded before 1000; late Middle English nymel, earlier nemel, Old English nǣmel “capable,” equivalent to nǣm- (variant stem of niman “to take”; see nim 1) + -el -le
Explanation
If you're nimble, you can move quickly and with ease. That spryness can be both physical and mental, so even if your granny isn't very nimble on her feet, she can probably still whip you in chess. A toddler might recognize the word nimble from the nursery rhyme: "Jack be nimble / Jack be quick / Jack jump over / The candlestick," but may not be nimble enough to deduce the meaning. Nimble, from the 14th century Old English næmel, meaning "quick to grasp," can refer to one's mental quickness or physical agility.
Vocabulary lists containing nimble
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ultimately, the company has had to be nimble in a tough environment.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
The new cars are lighter, smaller, and more nimble.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Companies are restructuring engineering teams into smaller, more nimble cross-functional ‘pods,’ made up of humans and AI agents.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Melissa Grant, Carafem’s chief operations officer, said the past few years of chaos in U.S. abortion regulations prepared the organization to be nimble when the need arose.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
The Xhosa waged a long war against the white man as well, but after experiencing the futility of battle against a better-armed foe, many Xhosa chiefs took a more nimble approach.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
