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limp

1
[ limp ]
/ lɪmp /
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See synonyms for: limp / limped / limping on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to 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.
noun
a lame movement or gait: The accident left him with a slight limp.
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Origin of limp

1
1560–70; back formation from obsolete limphault lame; Old English lemphealt limping (see halt2); akin to Middle High German limpfen to limp

OTHER WORDS FROM limp

limper, nounlimp·ing·ly, adverb

Other definitions for limp (2 of 2)

limp2
[ limp ]
/ lɪmp /

adjective, limp·er, limp·est.
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

2
1700–10; perhaps <Scandinavian; compare Icelandic limpa slackness, limpilegur soft, flabby

OTHER WORDS FROM limp

limply, adverblimpness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use limp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for limp (1 of 2)

limp1
/ (lɪmp) /

verb (intr)
to walk with an uneven step, esp with a weak or injured leg
to advance in a labouring or faltering manner
noun
an uneven walk or progress

Derived forms of limp

limper, nounlimping, adjective, nounlimpingly, adverb

Word Origin for limp

C16: probably a back formation from obsolete limphalt lame, from Old English lemphealt; related to Middle High German limpfen to limp

British Dictionary definitions for limp (2 of 2)

limp2
/ (lɪmp) /

adjective
not firm or stiff
not energetic or vital
(of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards

Derived forms of limp

limply, adverblimpness, noun

Word Origin for limp

C18: probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Icelandic limpa looseness
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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