nibble

[ nib-uhl ]

/ ˈnɪb əl /

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See synonyms for: nibble / nibbles / nibbling 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR nibble

7 tidbit, bite, taste, crumb.

See synonyms for nibble on Thesaurus.com

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

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Idioms about nibble

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

OTHER WORDS FROM nibble

un·nib·bled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nibble in a sentence

It was a culture nibbling on the genial jingoism of Norman Vincent Peale and being made somewhat uncomfortable by Adlai Stevenson.
Why Elvis Presley Never Really Died|Larry Durstin|August 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This “double whammy” of predation and competition enables jellyfish to cripple a food chain by essentially nibbling at its ankles.
Beware at the Beach, the Jellyfish Rule the Seas and It’s Our Fault|Lisa-ann Gershwin|June 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The man who wrote about hulking linebackers nibbling melon in the Texas dusk.
An Open Letter to Buzz Bissinger|Sean Macaulay|March 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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

The more perfectly the star in question feeds the pre-existing stereotype of foie gras-nibbling limousine liberalism, the better.
The GOP’s Two-Faced Celeb Bashing of Obama’s Parker-Wintour Fundraiser|Michelle Cottle|June 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Brindle tarried behind and foraged for her supper by nibbling the grass from the overgrown dooryard.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Kano pensively lifted a plum upon the point of a toothpick and began nibbling at its wrinkled skin.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa
He kept on pulling at one twig after another with his trunk, nibbling and wasting everything.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
"Master Colombaik feared you had been nibbling the goods on the way," one of the young tanners observed with a laugh.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
A slight greeting on the ends of her lips, some hurried words, and she returned to the noble battalion nibbling vigorously away.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet

British Dictionary definitions for nibble

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

nibble

OTHER WORDS FOR nibble

Idioms about nibble

Origin of nibble

OTHER WORDS FROM nibble

Words related to nibble

How to use nibble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nibble

Word Origin for nibble