limp 
limp (limp)
intransitive verb
- to walk with or as with a lame or partially disabled leg
- to move or proceed unevenly, jerkily, or laboriously, as because of being impaired, defective, damaged, etc.
Etymology: ME lympen < OE limpan, to befall, occur (in a specialized sense, to walk lamely), akin to MHG limpfen, to walk with a limp, OHG limfan, to befall, happen < IE *(s)lemb- < base *leb-, to hang down, be limp > slump, MHG lumpe, rag, L labor, limbus
noun
a halting gait or lameness in walking
limp (limp)
adjective
- lacking or having lost stiffness or body; flaccid, drooping, wilted, etc.
- lacking firmness, energy, or vigor
- flexible, as the binding of some books
Etymology: < base of limp, akin to MHG lampen, to hang limply
limp
modif.
limp
n.
limp
v.
Converse of object
- hang: He squints against smoke trailing from the cigarette butt, hanging limp from his mouth.
- fall: His opponent flailed wildly and then fell limp - the fight nigh-on choked out of him.
Adjective modifier
- pronounced: The Earl of Carrick, now heir to the throne, was a sickly man with a pronounced limp.
- slight: The mud proved to be slowing Walter down as well as a slight limp from where he must have twisted his ankle.
- permanent: But he paid a price and was left with a permanent limp.
Preposition: into
- port: A French salvage ship, the Piper Maru, limped into port in San Diego yesterday, all the way from the north Pacific.
Modifies a noun
- wristed: The OFT has clearly been rattled by " limp wristed " charges laid at its door by the House of Commons Treasury Committee.
- vellum: Now within an early 20th-century binding of limp vellum with the remains of ribbon ties.
- handshake: Practice your handshake to make sure it is firm: a limp handshake can be very off putting.
- cover: It is a slightly different format with limp covers.
- mode: If car goes into limp home mode in the wet, suspect water in the air filter.
Modifying Another Word
- badly: Fat, bearded game warden at our table, limping badly.
- rather: Even the rather limp ' Walking Barefoot ' stands out.
- finally: The 21-month hunt for the phantom weapons finally limped to a conclusion to-day: there were never any there to begin with.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- along: For now, I'll limp along with the minimum I have to spend.
- off: He limped off to be replaced by David Graham, the ex Torquay player who has scored several times against us over the years.
- around: Mark and I limped around but we needed to get some clothes.
- out: The center limped out of the defeat to Quins with a slight calf strain.
Followed by a transitive particle
- off: As it was he limped off five minutes later.
Print this Page
Suggestion Box
Send to Friend
