What does "limp" mean?
An irregular, jerky or awkward gait.
Limp
/lɪmp/ adj, noun, phrase, verb, slang
adj, noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An irregular, jerky or awkward gait.
- Grammar: limp is listed as adj, noun, phrase, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: hobble, amble, andante, anemic.
- Useful contrasts: rock hard, taut, akimbo.
- Usage evidence: Her coloring book lay limp, jagged with angular pink scribbles.
How to use "limp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "limp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "limp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "limp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "limp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "limp" is acting as adj, noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hobble" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "limp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An irregular, jerky or awkward gait.
"She walks with a limp."
- 2 A scraper of board or sheet-iron shaped like half the head of a small cask, used for scraping the ore off the sieve in the operation of hand-jigging.
- 3 the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg wordnet
- 4 A scraper for removing poor ore or refuse from the sieve.
Verb
- 1 To walk lamely, as if favoring one leg. intransitive
"Dirk Kuyt sandwiched a goal in between Carroll's double as City endured a night of total misery, with captain Carlos Tevez limping off early on with a hamstring strain that puts a serious question mark over his participation in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley."
- 2 To be inadequate or unsatisfactory. intransitive, stative
- 3 To happen; befall; chance. intransitive, obsolete
- 4 walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury wordnet
- 5 To travel with a malfunctioning system of propulsion. figuratively, intransitive
"The bomber limped home on one engine."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To come upon; meet. obsolete, transitive
- 7 proceed slowly or with difficulty wordnet
- 8 To move or proceed irregularly. figuratively, intransitive
"limping verses"
- 9 To call, particularly in an unraised pot pre-flop. intransitive, slang
Adjective
- 1 Flaccid; flabby, resembling flesh.
- 2 Lacking stiffness; floppy, flimsy.
"a limp rope"
- 3 Not erect. slang
- 4 Not having an erection. slang
- 5 Physically weak.
"Another line-out was stolen, and when the ball was sent left Clerc stepped and spun through limp challenges from Wilkinson, Chris Ashton and Foden to dive over and make it 11-0."
Adjective
- 1 without energy or will wordnet
- 2 lacking or having lost rigidity wordnet
Phrase
- 1 Acronym of Louis XIV, James II, Queen Mary of Modena and the Prince of Wales (a code-word among Jacobites) abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, historical
"To intimidate the people, you drew up Resolves, and an Address to his Majesty, founded on evidence from Governor Barnard, the Commissioners of Revenue, Custom-house Officers, and a few poor, expectant and dependent creatures, whom your Limp corresponds with in Boston; and thereby, having imposed upon, and deceived the legislature, sanctified your despotism, at the expence of their last Liberties;"
Antonyms
Example
"Her coloring book lay limp, jagged with angular pink scribbles."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "limp"?
Common synonyms include: hobble, amble, andante, anemic, anemic, apathetic.
How do you use "limp" in a sentence?
Her coloring book lay limp, jagged with angular pink scribbles.
How do you pronounce "limp"?
Pronounced /lɪmp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English limpen (“to fall short”), from Old English limpan, from Proto-West Germanic *limpan, from Proto-Germanic *limpaną (“to hang down”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lemb-, *(s)lembʰ- (“to hang loosely, hang limply”). Cognate with Low German lumpen (“to limp”), Middle High German limpfen (“to hobble, limp”), dialectal German lampen (“to hang down loosely”), Icelandic limpa (“limpness, weakness”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English *limp, *lemp, from Old English *lemp (recorded only in compound lemphealt (“limping”), from Proto-West Germanic *limpan, from Proto-Germanic *limpaną (“to hang down”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lemb-, *(s)lembʰ- (“to hang loosely, hang limply”). Cognate with German lampecht (“flaccid, limp”), Icelandic lempinn, lempiligur (“pliable, gentle”). See above.
Etymology 3
From Middle English limpen, from Old English limpan (“to happen, occur, exist, belong to, suit, befit, concern”). Cognate with Scots limp (“to chance to be, come”), Middle Dutch limpen (“to happen”), Middle Low German gelimpen (“to moderate, treat mildly”), Middle High German limfen (“to suit, become”).