nibble

[nib-uhl]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nibble ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), nib·bled, nib·bling.

to bite off small bits.

to eat or chew in small bites: Give him a graham cracker to nibble on.

to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually followed by at): She was so upset she could only nibble at her food.

verb (used with object), nib·bled, nib·bling.

to bite off small bits of (something).

to eat (food) by biting off small pieces.

to bite in small bits: He nibbled each morsel with great deliberation.

noun

a small morsel or bit: Each nibble was eaten with the air of an epicure.

an act or instance of nibbling.

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

any preliminary positive response or reaction.

Idioms

nibble away at, to cause to decrease or diminish bit by bit: Inflation was nibbling away at her savings. The rains nibbled at the loam.Also nibble at.

Origin of nibble

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

Related formsun·nib·bled, adjective

Synonyms for nibble

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nibble ON THESAURUS.COM

7. tidbit, bite, taste, crumb.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nibble

nip, gnaw, eat, taste, snack, tidbit, peck, crumb, munch, crop

Examples from the Web for nibble

Contemporary Examples of nibble

Will he nibble around the edges, or will he actually take on the oil companies?
Clinton’s Environmental Failure
Bill McKibben
December 9, 2012
Would he be able to nibble on foie gras, slurp fettuccine Alfredo, and sample chocolate mousse without putting on weight again?
Frank Bruni Revealed
Nicki Gostin
August 18, 2009

Historical Examples of nibble

He had only meant to nibble, and here he was, fairly hooked.
The Penance of Magdalena and Other Tales of the California Missions
J. Smeaton Chase
Her relative continued to nibble nervously at a bit of toast.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
But we have lost our hats, Nibble, and they were our best ones.
Five Mice in a Mouse-trap
Laura E. Richards
Granted that Arlt, whoever he is, gets second nibble, who comes in ahead?
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray
On two different occasions, feeling a nibble on his line, he jerked, all to no avail.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for nibble

nibble

verb (when intr, often foll by at)

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

to take dainty or tentative bitesto nibble at a cake

to bite (at) gently or caressingly

(intr) to make petty criticisms

(intr) to consider tentatively or cautiouslyto nibble at an idea

noun

a small mouthful

an instance or the act of nibbling

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

Word Origin for nibble

C15: related to Low German nibbelen. Compare nib, neb

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

Word Origin and History for nibble

"to bite gently," c.1500, perhaps from Low German nibbeln "to nibble, gnaw," related to Middle Low German nibbelen, Middle Dutch knibbelen "to gnaw," source of Dutch knibbelen "to cavail, squabble." Related: Nibbled; nibbling.

1650s, "act of nibbling," from nibble (v.). As "a small bite," from 1838.