limp
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to walk with a labored, jerky movement, as when lame.
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to proceed in a lame, faltering, or labored manner.
His writing limps from one cliché to another. The old car limped along.
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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
adjective
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lacking stiffness or firmness, as of substance, fiber, structure, or bodily frame.
a limp body.
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lacking vitality; weary; tired; fatigued.
Limp with exhaustion, she dropped into the nearest chair.
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without firmness, force, energy, etc., as of character.
limp, spiritless prose.
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flexible; not stiff or rigid.
a Bible in a limp leather binding.
verb
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to walk with an uneven step, esp with a weak or injured leg
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to advance in a labouring or faltering manner
noun
adjective
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not firm or stiff
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not energetic or vital
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(of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards
Other Word Forms
- limper noun
- limping adjective
- limpingly adverb
- limply adverb
- limpness noun
Etymology
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
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.
It wasn't the same limp performance we saw against Japan.
From BBC
Asked about his medical condition, the report said, "Woods advised he's had seven back surgeries and over 20 operations on his leg... Woods advised he has a limp and his ankle seizes while walking."
From Barron's
Woods advised he has a limp and his ankle seizes while walking.”
From Los Angeles Times
The report noted that Woods was observed "limping and stumbling", adding that the American said he had had seven back surgeries and over 20 operations on his leg.
From BBC
I knew I should tighten my sad, limp ponytail and move on with my life, but the thing was, Sela’s hair supremacy was a new thing.
From Literature
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.
