nibble
Americanverb (used without object)
-
nibbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nibbled,
past participle, past
-
nibbling
present participle
-
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 byat ).
She was so upset she could only nibble at her food.
verb (used with object)
-
nibbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nibbled,
past participle, past
-
nibbling
present participle
-
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
-
nibbles
plural
idioms
verb
-
(esp of animals, such as mice) to take small repeated bites (of)
-
to take dainty or tentative bites
to nibble at a cake
-
to bite (at) gently or caressingly
-
(intr) to make petty criticisms
-
(intr) to consider tentatively or cautiously
to nibble at an idea
noun
-
a small mouthful
-
an instance or the act of nibbling
-
informal (plural) small items of food, esp savouries, usually served with drinks
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nibblesimple
-
nibblessimple
-
have nibbledperfect
-
has nibbledperfect
-
am nibblingprogressive
-
are nibblingprogressive
-
is nibblingprogressive
-
have been nibblingperfect progressive
-
has been nibblingperfect progressive
Past
-
nibbledsimple
-
had nibbledperfect
-
was nibblingprogressive
-
were nibblingprogressive
-
had been nibblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To nibble is to eat in tiny bites. If you nibble your chocolate chip cookie while your sister gobbles hers quickly, yours will last much longer. Your pet rabbit probably nibbles on the carrots you give him, and he might even nibble, or bite very softly, on your fingers. Any one of these gentle or small bites can be called a nibble. The word probably stems from the Low German nibbeln, "to gnaw."
Vocabulary lists containing nibble
Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
These are given predation umbrellas to protect them from the hungry fish having a nibble.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
"But the larger ants seemed to seek the attention of the smaller ants by first visiting their nests and then allowing the small ants to lick and nibble all over them."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026
McDonald’s Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski had taken what social media mocked as a paltry nibble in a video promoting the chain’s new Big Arch burger, or “product,” as the CEO called it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
The thin-cut vegetables make it easy to nibble a bite at a time, rather than staring down a full head of lettuce in a salad bowl.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026
Hyacinth thought about this while she watched Paganini nibble on a stack of books and George Washington groom his ears.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Here by the water’s edge, she nibbles on seeds and drinks rainwater, retreating to the house to sleep at night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Not surprisingly, he got all kinds of scholarship offers from top-notch football programs but only nibbles from big-time basketball schools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
An MP accused of flouting Covid-19 rules during a "wine and nibbles" event has been cleared of wrongdoing.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2024
Don’t for a moment be hesitant about putting out store-bought nibbles.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 30, 2023
He would lecture me about his latest research into the boring life of some dead guy while I ate tiny forkfuls of mushroom omelette and nibbles of cinnamon bagel with butter.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Roses are placed on the tables where supporters nibbled from snack plates, hugged, all smiles, and sipped from glasses of sparkling wine or beer.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
It was really about a much deeper issue than how he awkwardly nibbled his burger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
"What that means is that, in the case of the squirrel, it nibbled on aloe and took those metabolites into its own bloodstream," explained Bromage.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2026
As they nibbled and play-snarled at her, the pup lay on her back, wiggling in glee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
For several minutes, they were both content to sit in silence while they nibbled on their dried fruit and meat.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The 4½-year-old eagle is larger than Shadow and she’s been moving sticks around in the nest and nibbling on him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
It was imperceivable at first, but for those blessed with cloud-free skies, crowds noticed the Moon nibbling away at the Sun.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
But instead of attacking, the smaller ants climb onto the bigger ones and begin licking and nibbling across their bodies.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026
“I don’t even know how to attack it. God, so much to it. Alright, the moment of truth,” Kempczinski says in the clip, before nibbling the sandwich.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 6, 2026
They mingled peacefully, searching and nibbling at the plants growing out of the immense mountain of coral.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
