nibble Hear it!

nibble Definition

nib·ble (nibəl)

transitive verb -·bled, -·bling

  1. to eat (food) with quick bites, taking only a small amount at a time, as a mouse does
  2. to bite at with small, gentle bites

Etymology: LME nebyllen, prob. akin to MLowG nibbelen: for IE base see nip

intransitive verb

  1. to take small, cautious, or gentle bites: usually with at
  2. to show little interest in food by taking only small bites intermittently: usually with at

noun

  1. a small bite, morsel, or quantity
  2. the act or an instance of nibbling

nibble Related Forms
nib·bler noun
nibble Synonyms

nibble

n.

morsel, peck, cautious bite; see bit 1, bite 1.

nibble Synonyms

nibble

v.

nip, gnaw, snack; see bite 1, eat 1.

Nibble Hacker Definition
Half of a byte (4 bits).

See Also: Byte.

nibble Telecom Definition
Sometimes spelled nybble. 1. Half a byte. 2. A four-bit byte. (I swear that I don't make this stuff up.) See also byte, quadbit, and quartet.
nibble Usage Examples

Object

  • grass: For a long moment he concentrated on the miniature donkey nibbling the grass around the wooden zebra.

Converse of object

  • serve: A cool retro chic bowl, perfect for your vintage chic or retro chic interior, also ideal for serving nibbles!
  • have: You might wanna check out their official home page, their myspace page or begin by downloading a few tracks to have a nibble.
  • take: I think I took two tiny nibbles of a slice of bread.
  • provide: Judy, Emma and Maggie provided wonderful nibbles and the wine flowed.
  • get: Action Points: Nathan to pick and advertize a video well in advance, and get nibbles.
  • enjoy: They also enjoy the odd nibble at the bed clothes, in fact anything hanging over the edge of the bed is at risk.

Preposition: at

  • edge: Experimental devices have nibbled at the edges of the problem, however.

Adjective modifier

  • tasty: Dry roast with soya sauce for a tasty nibble.
  • healthy: Dried pear slices make a healthy in-between meal nibble.
  • few: Since I work in a kitchen I cannot help myself to a few nibbles.
  • little: The first time I didn't respond fast enough to that, she gave my arm a little nibble!
  • free: There will also be a cash prize quiz as usual and extra free nibbles!
  • other: Also for you: soul food - the ' JUICY ' bar - drinks / fresh fruit and other nibbles.

Modifying Another Word

  • away: Using these attacks nibbles away at your magic bar.
  • just: Just nibbling the base of the kelp stems enabled the next storm to carry them away.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • away: As soon as it finds one - it starts nibbling away at the base of one of the starfish's arms.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • away: I'd nibble away a bit, taking care to allow for falling tree trunks.

Preposition: before

  • kick-off: Tickets cost £ 15 plus VAT and include drinks and nibbles before kick-off at 6.30pm.

Preposition: of

  • bread: So she had nibble of bread and cheese and then fell asleep in her highchair.

Browse dictionary entries near nibble

  1. nib
  2. Niamey
  3. Niagara Falls
  4. Niagara
  5. niacin
  6. Ni
  7. NHRP
  8. NHL
  9. NHI
  10. NHG
  1. Nibelung
  2. Nibelungenlied
  3. niblick
  4. nibs
  5. NIC
  6. Nica
  7. NiCad
  8. Nicaea
  9. Nicar
  10. Nicaragua