limp
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
limps,
present (3rd person singular)
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limped,
past participle, past
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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.
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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
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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
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has limpedperfect
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am limpingprogressive
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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
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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:
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
When he reappeared on campus, around 90 minutes before the shooting, the man was wearing different clothes and seemingly walking with a limp, according to the witness.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
He has a facial tic that he blames on his concussions and a limp stemming from back problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Eventually, though, Markie’s friends got called home for supper and I was looking down at one grubby kid with a limp balloon trailing behind him.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
Narratively and logistically, Daniel’s whistleblowing escape limps along with a lack of suspense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
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
At Good Samaritan, Maia limps into the ER, cons her way into priority triage, gets stitched up, and limps back out against the doctor’s orders.
From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2025
Heidi gulps them down, then limps out the door, one hand up in what is supposed to be a wave but looks more like a surrender.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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
Perhaps the contemporary stories could only possibly feel limper by comparison.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2014
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
Chris decided not to tell him about the limper on the lawn, not until the next time.
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
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
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
Stocks limped to the end of a five-day slump on Friday, a run in which even blowout earnings from chip maker Micron couldn’t build any traction in major indexes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The first film, 2002’s “Jackass: The Movie” was slow to discover that carnage without camaraderie is painful; several injuries limped off-screen in horrified silence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
It meant West Indies limped on to 148-5.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Rice, 27, limped out of the Boston Stadium after England's goalless draw against Ghana on Tuesday with heavy strapping on his left calf.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
I limped back down the mountain and went to bed without saying good night to anyone.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
The boys' father said: "We were in the hotel room when the eldest burst into the room. He was limping and there was blood everywhere after he cut all his feet leaving the spa."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
One man headed toward the border terminal under harsh sunlight, limping and struggling with two suitcases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
From his gray hair to limping stride, Jackson’s Robin is so battered by decades of violence and outdoor camping that, at first glance, I thought his bare feet were a pair of alligator boots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Now, for a dose of reality: Companies that enjoy a huge pop end up limping along for years.
From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026
What sort of welcome would he have, limping as he was on crutches?
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
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.
