limp

¹ American  

[limp] / lɪmp /

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.

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noun

1. a lame movement or gait.

   The accident left him with a slight limp.

limp ² American  

[limp] / lɪmp /

adjective

limper, limpest

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.

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limp ¹ British  

/ 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

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noun

1. an uneven walk or progress

limp ² British  

/ lɪmp /

adjective

1. not firm or stiff

2. not energetic or vital

3. (of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards

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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

Explanation

If you walk unevenly, you have a limp. Maybe you pulled your hamstring at the annual Thanksgiving Day Football Showdown, or maybe one leg is three inches shorter than the other. Whatever the reason, if your gait is off kilter, you limp. You can have a limp (the noun), or you can limp (the verb), and both mean that for some reason your legs don’t work quite in synch. Limp can also be an adjective that means "not strong or firm," like your friends' limp response to your invitation to come help paint your house or when your hair looks limp, meaning it's just hanging, with no volume or style.

Example Sentences

"All my childhood I had a limp," Phoebe said.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

The Lakers don’t need him showing up in three weeks trying to save this season on a limp and a prayer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Drivers may also develop a limp associated with banging their knees on the door.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Martin's other daughter, Kelly Fretwell, said her mother had "waddled" when she walked, had a limp, arthritis and had undergone two hip replacements.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

The fourth day, when the Astrea lay at anchor, her sails limp, another ship passed them, moving steadily against the current.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Related Words

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