limp
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
limps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
limped,
past participle, past
-
limping
present participle
-
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
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limps
plural
adjective
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limper,
comparative
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limpest
superlative
-
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.
verb
-
to walk with an uneven step, esp with a weak or injured leg
-
to advance in a labouring or faltering manner
noun
adjective
-
not firm or stiff
-
not energetic or vital
-
(of the binding of a book) not stiffened with boards
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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limpsimple
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limpssimple
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have limpedperfect
-
has limpedperfect
-
am limpingprogressive
-
are limpingprogressive
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is limpingprogressive
-
have been limpingperfect progressive
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has been limpingperfect progressive
Past
-
limpedsimple
-
had limpedperfect
-
was limpingprogressive
-
were limpingprogressive
-
had been limpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of limp1
1560–70; back formation from obsolete limphault lame; Old English lemphealt limping ( see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing limp
Because of Winn-Dixie
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Purple Hibiscus
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25 Ways of Walking
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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.
See Examples For:
It was almost limp with moisture, and there was an obvious contrast between where the breading ended and the chicken began.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
The evidence also raises the possibility that the animal was walking with a limp.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
One piece of lettuce was limp; another was somehow entirely lettuce rib.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
A lot has happened since head coach Danny Rohl, who has been replaced by Derek McInnes, watched his team limp to the finish after their season unravelled in a post-split collapse.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
He had a bad limp, but he acted like it didn’t bother him.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
As the housing market limps along, analysts have become less enthused about D.R.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
Now the industry limps along by focusing on artificial intelligence; private equity also has experienced setbacks and looks even wobblier to me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
Voters here are concerned with policies that affect their water supply and forests, given that the timber industry limps along here and fires have ravaged the area in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
How well Ramona understands the woman’s meaning is an open question, but given that she limps off immediately on hearing the threat, “well enough” seems a reasonable estimation.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2025
Peeta limps toward me and thrusts the weapons back in my hands.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
They could be even limper against Leicester, and they will still win to move even closer to the title.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025
Much of the rest in “Languages of Truth” is limper and less interesting.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2021
And Bieber delivers his most bravura vocal on the acoustic guitar–driven “E.T.A.,” which ideally would have ended the album rather than the several limper retreads that follow it.
From Slate ● Feb. 18, 2020
Later, fellow Canadians Feist and Timber Timbre make the ballad-est of ballads even limper, coasting “Don’t Give Up” at an easy folk pace, pleasant but unconvincing.
From Time ● Jan. 6, 2014
Then he would tell him about the limper.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
I’m reaching a point where I think the jump scare is the lamest, limpest form of horror.
From The Verge ● Sep. 21, 2017
Russia, tipped as possible winners just a few days earlier, crashed out with drama – but for Poland it was the limpest possible exit: the co-hosts offering next to nothing against the Czechs.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 16, 2012
The most enraptured fans are children : the limpest puppet show or the most ancient Western will bring in neighborhoods of bug-eyed, awestruck kids.
From Time Magazine Archive
A man took a leg under each arm, another man took hold of his shoulders, and Limber Tim, now the limpest thing dead or alive was borne to his cabin.
From First Fam'lies of the Sierras by Joaquin Miller
Sir James might not have originated this estimate; but a kind Providence furnishes the limpest personality with a little gunk or starch in the form of tradition.
From Middlemarch by George Eliot
U.S. stocks limped to the close, with many investors looking ahead to Wednesday’s key inflation report and what it might mean for interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Wall Street just limped through its roughest stretch in months, and every investor is asking the same nervous question: Is the worst over in the stock market, or is the selloff just getting started?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
The big break came 10 days after the slaying, when a veteran Hollywood stuntman, Gary McLarty, whose industry nickname was “Whiz Kid,” limped into the LAPD’s North Hollywood station.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The super athletic forward who thrilled fans with his highlight-reel dunks last season took a hard landing on one wild drive during the first half and limped toward the bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
The Argo II limped forward under sail power, but their plan had paid off.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Outside linebacker Kyle Kennard exited practice with a trainer after limping off the field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
A.S. was released from the detention center last month still limping and in pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Wales captain Dewi Lake was passed fit despite limping off against the Pumas, but wing Josh Adams was a late withdrawal because of a calf problem with Ellis Mee taking his place.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I was limping and being passed by people double my age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
See if he was bent over, limping, or if his ribs had healed any so he could at least stand up straight.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
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.
