nibble

[nib-uhl]

verb (used without object)

nibbled, nibbling 

1. to bite off small bits.

2. to eat or chew in small bites.

   Give him a graham cracker to nibble on.

3. to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually followed byat ).

   She was so upset she could only nibble at her food.

verb (used with object)

nibbled, nibbling 

1. to bite off small bits of (something).

2. to eat (food) by biting off small pieces.

3. to bite in small bits.

   He nibbled each morsel with great deliberation.

noun

1. a small morsel or bit.

   Each nibble was eaten with the air of an epicure.

   Synonyms: crumb, taste, bite, tidbit

2. an act or instance of nibbling.

3. a response by a fish to bait on a fishing line.

4. any preliminary positive response or reaction.

nibble

/ ˈnɪbəl /

verb

1. (esp of animals, such as mice) to take small repeated bites (of)

2. to take dainty or tentative bites

   to nibble at a cake

3. to bite (at) gently or caressingly

4. (intr) to make petty criticisms

5. (intr) to consider tentatively or cautiously

   to nibble at an idea

noun

1. a small mouthful

2. an instance or the act of nibbling

3. informal,  (plural) small items of food, esp savouries, usually served with drinks

Other Word Forms

• unnibbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nibble¹

1425–75; late Middle English nebillen to peck away at, nibble, try, perhaps < Middle Low German nibbelen to pick with the beak; nib, -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of nibble¹

C15: related to Low German nibbelen. Compare _nib , _neb

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. nibble away at, to cause to decrease or diminish bit by bit: Also nibble at.

   Inflation was nibbling away at her savings. The rains nibbled at the loam.

Example Sentences

The children wondered if she might have snuck up to her room on the fourth floor, to read for a bit while nibbling on a piece of licorice.

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As an afterthought, he said, “Does nibbling bother them?”

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She nibbled on the nuts instead and was grateful for a swallow of warm, metallic-tasting water from her canteen.

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In any case, it had been a good while since breakfast, and all four of them were in need of tea and something sweet to nibble on.

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Chinese companies are nibbling at their market share in secondary markets such as Brazil and Australia and emerging as fierce rivals at home.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• eat 
• gnaw 
• nip