limp

[ 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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of limp

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR limp

1 flabby, flaccid, soft.

2, 3 feeble, weak.

See synonyms for limp on Thesaurus.com

Origin of limp

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

Outside editors limped toward the light of January with a mixture of hope and exhaustion.
The Gear Our Editors Loved in December|The Editors|January 6, 2021|Outside Online
This season, he has been visibly hampered by several injuries, including an adductor strain, and he has limped off the field with help from a trainer more than once.
Inside a week of recovery with Morgan Moses, one of Washington’s toughest players|Sam Fortier|December 26, 2020|Washington Post
You stepped back onto the path and almost collapsed on your cramped legs, limped forward 10 feet and found that your path joined with another small trail, the one they had taken.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Over the next couple of days, she became less alert and went limp.
This D.C. baby’s mother was charged with her death. But nothing is solved.|Petula Dvorak|December 10, 2020|Washington Post

He had grabbed his knee after being hit by two Dallas Cowboys defenders and was limping noticeably thereafter.
Steelers stay unbeaten, Chargers drop another heartbreaker in NFL Week 9|Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
When the speech ended, with “I am proud to present . . . ” Furry, carrying his battered Epiphone guitar, limped onto the stage.
Stanley Booth on the Life and Hard Times of Blues Genius Furry Lewis|Stanley Booth|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Others limped back from the front lines, hit by shotgun pellets.
Egypt’s Day of Rage|Sophia Jones|August 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And for the first time in his career, as he limped in and out of the French Open quarterfinal, he looked his age.
Roger Federer’s Hair Evolution|Sujay Kumar|June 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mitt, who garnered 29 percent in Missouri in 2008, limped in with 25 percent—less than half the votes Santorum earned.
Daily Beast Contributors on Rick Santorum’s Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado Wins||February 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Even Rep. Michele Bachmann, usually a prolific fundraiser, limped across last year's finish line with about $12 million.
Obama Campaign Aims to Collect $1 Billion While GOP Relies on Super PACs|Laura Colarusso|February 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Scattergood arose ponderously and limped out into the middle of the dusty road.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
The old Englishman was very brave, for he limped forward and managed to gather up the children, one under each arm.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
One man of the 30th was the first; he limped along with his foot dangling from the ankle, supporting himself on his firelock.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell
Ketira brushed against me as she passed, taking no notice whatever; left the garden, and limped away.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
After lying for a little while at his feet, licking the poor wounded paw, the lion got up and limped out of the cave.
The Animal Story Book|Various

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

limp

Origin of limp

OTHER WORDS FROM limp

Other definitions for limp (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR limp

Origin of limp

OTHER WORDS FROM limp

Words related to limp

How to use limp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for limp (1 of 2)

Derived forms of limp

Word Origin for limp

British Dictionary definitions for limp (2 of 2)

Derived forms of limp

Word Origin for limp