limber

¹ American  

[lim-ber] / ˈlɪm bər /

adjective

1. characterized by ease in bending the body; supple; lithe.

   Antonyms:

   stiff

2. bending readily; flexible; pliant.

   Synonyms:

   pliable

   Antonyms:

   unbending, rigid, stiff

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verb (used without object)

1. to make oneself limber (usually followed byup ).

   to limber up before the game.

verb (used with object)

1. to make (something) limber (usually followed byup ).

   She tried to limber up her wits before the exam.

limber ² American  

[lim-ber] / ˈlɪm bər /

noun

1. a two-wheeled vehicle, originally pulled by four or six horses, behind which is towed a field gun or caisson.

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verb (used with object)

1. to attach the limber to (a gun) in preparation for moving away (sometimes followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

1. to attach a limber to a gun (usually followed byup ).

limber ³ American  

[lim-ber] / ˈlɪm bər /

noun

1. Nautical. Usually limbers. a passage or gutter in which seepage collects to be pumped away, located on each side of a central keelson; bilge.

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limber ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪmbə /

adjective

1. capable of being easily bent or flexed; pliant

2. able to move or bend freely; agile

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limber ² British  

/ ˈlɪmbə /

noun

1. part of a gun carriage, often containing ammunition, consisting of an axle, pole, and two wheels, that is attached to the rear of an item of equipment, esp field artillery

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verb

1. (usually foll by up) to attach the limber (to a gun, etc)

limber ³ British  

/ ˈlɪmbə /

noun

1. (often plural) nautical (in the bilge of a vessel) a fore-and-aft channel through a series of holes in the frames ( limber holes ) where water collects and can be pumped out

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Related Words

See flexible.

Other Word Forms

• limberly adverb
• limberness noun

Etymology

Origin of limber¹

First recorded in 1555–65; of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to limb ¹

Origin of limber²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English limour, lemer “cart shaft”; see limb ¹, -er ¹

Origin of limber³

First recorded in 1620–30; of uncertain origin; perhaps from French lumière “hole, perforation,” literally, “light,” from Late Latin lūmināria; see origin at luminaria

Explanation

Can you dance the hula? Get into crazy yoga positions, or touch your toes? Then you're limber, meaning your body is pretty flexible and able to bend well. Limber generally implies long and graceful limbs. Ballet dancers, it goes without saying, are limber. The term is also used for anything that's capable of being bent easily, such as a piece of metal or, in the metaphorical sense, someone's personality. More often, though, with this particular sense you'll find the word pliant used, implying easily manipulated. Good to be limber, less so to be pliant.

Example Sentences

But they might just be the most limber.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Take our quiz and limber up for the football event of the summer.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025

Afterward, I felt loose and limber heading back to my car — though the sensation didn’t last for very long after my car ride home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025

But the aged rodents in the lab of molecular biologist Shin-Ichiro Imai at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sported tails that were limber and nearly straight.

From Science Magazine • May 22, 2024

After that, a man gets a limber to his feet.”

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Related Words

• agile
• graceful
• lithe
• nimble
• pliable
• resilient
• spry
• supple