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 ( 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.

Example Sentences

But he is likely to limp on if his defense is true—that he was lied to or was misled by his own government, Travers said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

A video of the capture operation, posted by the Daejeon city government, showed a limp Neukgu being hauled by rescuers and placed in a carrier.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Asked about his medical condition, the report said, "Woods advised he's had seven back surgeries and over 20 operations on his leg... Woods advised he has a limp and his ankle seizes while walking."

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

When I started limping, Aneksi exuded a sympathy limp.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 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

Related Words

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