limp

1 of 3

verb

limped; limping; limps

intransitive verb

1
a
: to walk with an uneven and usually slow movement or gait
especially : to walk favoring one leg
The injured player limped off the field.
b
: to go unsteadily : falter
After which the conversation limped for some time …Henry Green
2
: to proceed slowly or with difficulty
The ship limped back to port.
limper noun
plural limpers

limp

2 of 3

noun

: an uneven movement or gait : a favoring of one leg while walking

limp

3 of 3

adjective

1
a
: lacking firm texture, substance, or structure
limp curtains
her hair hung limp about her shoulders
b
: not stiff or rigid
a book in a limp binding
2
a
: weary, exhausted
limp with fatigue
b
: lacking in strength, vigor, or firmness : spiritless
limply adverb
limpness noun

Examples of limp in a Sentence

Verb The injured player limped off the court. The dog was limping slightly. The damaged ship limped back to port. The company has somehow managed to limp along despite the bad economy. Noun We noticed that the dog was walking with a slight limp. Adjective He gave me a very limp handshake. This plant isn't doing well—look how limp the leaves are. Her hair hung limp around her shoulders. I suddenly went limp and collapsed on the floor. He was limp with fatigue.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The interview was never rescheduled, and the investigation would limp along for another few years before culminating, in late 2022, with a victory for Caterpillar. Jesse Drucker, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Swans limping around Paris’s Luxembourg Gardens and baby pigeons abandoned along the Seine riverbanks will end up here. Jess McHugh, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Curry took a charge but soon after limped to the locker room after rolling his right ankle on a drive. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Vogue mag shared a video of Victoria limping over to plant a kiss on her man, who later gave her a public shout-out. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Such a work stoppage would follow a pair of strikes in 2023 by industry writers and actors which crippled the entertainment industry and have left it limping into the new year. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Mar. 2024 As Memphis continues to limp through the remainder of the season with a skeleton crew, a number of players are getting a chance to showcase their talents; players like Watanabe and Lamar Stevens, also a trade-deadline swap with the Boston Celtics. Clay Bailey, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 Terrified that his friends were dead, Kinnan limped toward a lit house. Rozina Ali, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Morejon has limped along a bumpy medical road that included Tommy John surgery after his second start of 2021. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
The pronounced limp of an amputee comes from having to use the hip to throw the leg forward, from the residual limb pulling back motion, and from a tentativeness caused by numerous past falls. Jothy Rosenberg, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Martin arrived at the shelter in June and had a limp due to a fracture in one of his legs. Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2024 His father walked with a slight limp and coughed up mucus into the bathroom sink every night without washing it away. Thomas Korsgaard, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, Terry Rozier - who has missed two games with a sprained knee - was walking around the Kaseya Center practice court without any limp or limitations and could return at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Friday at New Orleans (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Even above-knee amputees have a chance of walking without a limp. Jothy Rosenberg, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 But Manor was left in pain and with a permanent limp. Kat Teurfs, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2024 Erickson tried in three additional operations to fix it, the disciplinary report said, but the patient had to undergo a fifth surgery elsewhere and will always walk with a limp. Patrick Rucker, ProPublica, 15 Dec. 2023 The operation left her with scar tissue that prevented the full range of motion, early arthritis and a permanent limp. Katie Camero, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Upon arrival, medical personnel found the baby to be limp with no signs of breathing, court records show. Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2024 Her mother’s limp hand could be seen nearby in the rubble — perhaps reaching out toward, perhaps slipping from, her daughter. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 20 Jan. 2024 Now, my nighttime hands grab only limp fabric and empty air. Longreads, 11 Jan. 2024 Things like potato gratin and mashed potatoes lose their creamy texture when frozen or refrigerated and reheated, and roasted carrots or brussels sprouts may become limp or soggy after just a day at cold temps. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 11 Dec. 2023 Smack in the middle is Asaf, whom the play proceeds to put through a tribal-political wringer that leaves him — and left me — a limp dishrag. Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Another limp defeat like Purdue and Wisconsin would represent a real problem. Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Jan. 2024 The Heaven Can Wait (1978) parody, on the other hand, is careless and limp (and not a little creepy, in the not-Halloween way), as the dead Homer is slotted into various replacement bodies, while poor Marge is left to cope. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 24 Nov. 2023 The good news for the Chiefs is that by the end of the session at the Raiders’ practice facility in Henderson, Nevada, Rice walked off the field without a limp. Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked if he was concerned about Rice. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'limp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

probably from Middle English lympen to fall short; akin to Old English limpan to happen, lemphealt lame

Adjective

akin to limp entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1818, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of limp was circa 1570

Dictionary Entries Near limp

Cite this Entry

“Limp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/limp. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

limp

1 of 3 verb
1
: to walk lamely
2
: to go slowly or with difficulty

limp

2 of 3 noun
: a limping movement or gait
walked with a limp

limp

3 of 3 adjective
1
: not firm or stiff
2
limply adverb
limpness noun

Medical Definition

limp

1 of 2 intransitive verb
1
: to walk lamely
especially : to walk favoring one leg
2
: to go unsteadily

limp

2 of 2 noun
: a limping movement or gait

More from Merriam-Webster on limp

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