nibbling

Variant of nibble

nibble Definition

nib·ble (nib′əl)

transitive verb nibbled -·bled, nibbling -·bling

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

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

intransitive verb

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

noun

Related Forms:

nibbling Usage Examples

Object

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

Modifying Another Word

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.

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