limp
1[ limp ]
/ lɪmp /
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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
11560–70; 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, adverbOther 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
21700–10; perhaps <Scandinavian; compare Icelandic limpa slackness, limpilegur soft, flabby
OTHER WORDS FROM limp
limply, adverblimpness, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
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, adverbWord 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, nounWord 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
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Medical definitions for limp
limp
[ lĭmp ]
n.
An irregular, jerky, or awkward gait; a claudication.
v.
To walk lamely, especially with irregularity, as if favoring one leg.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.