nibble

[ nib-uhl ]

/ ˈnɪb əl /

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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.

Nearby words

niah cave, niamey, niarchos, nib, nibbana, nibble, nibbler, nibelung, nibelungen, nibelungenlied, niblick

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

SYNONYMS FOR nibble

7 tidbit, bite, taste, crumb.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nibble ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·nib·bled, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for nibbling

In the Cavour high school in central Rome, mice run through the halls, nibbling on open wiring and nesting in the lockers.
In Italy, Angry Students Occupy Schools|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Mealtimes encourage appetite and togetherness, but the hours in between are also ideal for nibbling.
Snack Mixes That Won't Bite Back|Stacey Slate|December 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He would sit watching Nanny nibbling with her front teeth the capers of the caper sauce, and he would hate her.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
Many a hunter, temporarily lost in Southern woods, quenches his thirst by nibbling young shoots of the sour-wood.
Trees Worth Knowing|Julia Ellen Rogers

The hunter unfastened a horse that was nibbling the young tree shoots in front of the lodge.
The Trapper's Daughter|Gustave Aimard
It stopped short, raised its head from the grass it had been daintily nibbling, then resumed its nibbling.
A Secret of the Lebombo|Bertram Mitford
The sheep still keep on nibbling as they go, and their progress is slow.
Jean Francois Millet|Estelle M. Hurll

British Dictionary definitions for nibbling

nibble

/ (ˈnɪbəl) /

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 nibbling (1 of 2)

nibble

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

Word Origin and History for nibbling (1 of 2)

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.

nibble

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

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

noun

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of nibble

Examples from the Web for nibbling

British Dictionary definitions for nibbling

nibble

verb (when intr, often foll by at)

noun

Word Origin for nibble

Word Origin and History for nibbling (1 of 2)

nibble

Word Origin and History for nibbling (1 of 2)

nibble