What does "nibble" mean?
An act of taking a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, especially with the front teeth; the bite or bites so taken.
Nibble
/ˈnɪbl̩/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of taking a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, especially with the front teeth; the bite or bites so taken.
- Grammar: nibble is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: nybble, and sinker, attempt, be a sucker.
- Useful contrasts: bolt, bolt of cotton, bolts.
- Usage evidence: You say you had a nibble, it looked to me like you'd polished it off.
How to use "nibble"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nibble" 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 "nibble" 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 "nibble" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nibble" 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 "nibble" is acting as noun, 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 "nybble" 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 "nibble", 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 act of taking a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, especially with the front teeth; the bite or bites so taken.
"[H]e would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar's lance, and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not be encouraged by a single nibble."
- 2 A unit of memory equal to half a byte, or chiefly four bits.
"I own several abaci and two books on how to use them, but they all have four counters below the bar and one counter above it. […] The bottom four counters of each abacus can be used to represent a "nybble," and the upper counter on each can be used for parity."
- 3 gentle biting wordnet
- 4 A light bite of a person or animal, or part of their body, especially one which is loving or playful; a nip.
- 5 a small byte wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An amount of food that is or can be taken into the mouth through a small bite; a small mouthful.
"Yo'r sheep will be a' folded, a reckon, Measter Pratt, for there'll ne'er be a nibble o' grass to be seen this two month, according to my reading; […]"
- 7 A slight show of interest in something, such as a commercial opportunity or a proposal. figuratively
- 8 Grass or other vegetation eaten by livestock; forage, pasturage. obsolete, rare
"On the northern slopes of the light-earthed hills the moss had come over the herbage, and the sweet nibble of the sheep was souring."
Verb
- 1 To take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, of (something). transitive
"The rabbit nibbled the lettuce."
- 2 eat intermittently; take small bites of wordnet
- 3 To lightly bite (a person or animal, or part of their body), especially in a loving or playful manner; to nip. transitive
"My hand, as it hangs down, thou nibblest tenderly, […]"
- 4 bite gently wordnet
- 5 To make (a hole in something) through small bites. transitive
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 bite off very small pieces wordnet
- 7 To make (one's way) through or while taking small bites. transitive
"Before he realized it, he had nibbled his way through a whole bag of potato chips."
- 8 Chiefly followed by into or to: to cause (something) to be in a certain state through small bites. transitive
"The bases of the smaller trees were nibbled bare by rabbits, […]"
- 9 Followed by away, off, etc.: to remove (something) through small bites. transitive
"The ravviſh danke of clumzie vvinter ramps / The fluent ſummers vaine: and drizling ſleete / Chilleth the vvan bleak cheek of the numd earth, / VVhilſt ſnarling guſts nibble the iuyceles leaues, / From the nak't ſhuddring branch; […]"
- 10 Followed by away, off, etc.: to remove (something) through small bites.; To remove (small pieces) from glass, tile, etc., with a tool; also, to remove small pieces from (glass, tile, etc.) with a tool. transitive
- 11 To fidget or play with (something), especially with the fingers or hands. obsolete, transitive
"Ellen stood dumb and motionless, looking steadfastly down at the hem of her green jerkin, which she was nibbling with both her hands."
- 12 To catch (someone); to nab. obsolete, slang, transitive
"[T]he Roague has ſpied me novv, hee nibled me finely once too; […]"
- 13 To steal (something); to pilfer. obsolete, slang, transitive
- 14 Chiefly followed by at, away, or on: to take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites; to eat (at frequent intervals) with small, quick bites. intransitive
"The rabbit nibbled at the lettuce."
- 15 To lightly bite, especially in a loving or playful manner. intransitive
"He nibbled at my neck and made me shiver."
- 16 Chiefly followed by at: to show slight interest in something, such as a commercial opportunity or a proposal. figuratively, intransitive
"[W]hy mouſe, thy minde is nibbling at ſomething, vvhats iſt, vvhat lyes vpon thy Stomach?"
- 17 Followed by away at: to reduce or use up gradually; to eat. figuratively, intransitive
"A report out this week from the National Consumer Law Center lays out a host of ways in which banks nibble away at jobless benefits with fees the center called "junk.""
- 18 Followed by at: of a batter: to make an indecisive attempt to bat a ball bowled outside the off stump. figuratively, informal, intransitive
- 19 Synonym of tramline (“of a vehicle: to tend to follow the contours of the ground with its wheels”). figuratively, intransitive
- 20 To fidget or play, especially with the fingers or hands. intransitive, obsolete
"[S]he was with childe in hir huſbande his abſence, or that hir louer vſed hir fondly in open preſence, as the preſumption was not onely vehement, but alſo the fact too too apparent. Hir vnfortunat huſband had not ſooner notice gyuen him vpon his returne of theſe ſorowfull newes, then his fingers began to nibble, hys teeth to grinne, hys eyes to trickle, his eares to dindle, his heade to dezell, in ſomuch as his heart being ſkeared wyth ialouſie, & his wits enſtalde through Phrenſie, he became as madde, as a marche hare."
- 21 Chiefly followed by at: to make insignificant complaints; to carp, to cavil, to find fault. intransitive, obsolete
"Nay more, have not some of their devoted Schollers begun, I need to saw to nibble, but openly to argue against the Kings Supremacie?"
- 22 To engage in sexual intercourse. intransitive, obsolete, slang
"Hart I vvould giue but too much money to be nibling vvith that vvench, […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You say you had a nibble, it looked to me like you'd polished it off."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nibble"?
Common synonyms include: nybble, and sinker, attempt, be a sucker, be taken in, bit.
How do you use "nibble" in a sentence?
You say you had a nibble, it looked to me like you'd polished it off.
How do you pronounce "nibble"?
Pronounced /ˈnɪbl̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The verb is derived from Late Middle English nebillen, nebyll (“to peck away at (something), nibble; (figurative) to attempt to sing (a part of a song)”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Middle Low German nibbelen (“to eat in small bites, peck”) (modern German Low German nibbeln, gnibbeln, knibbeln), possibly a variant of knabbelen, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gnet- (“to press”) or imitative. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Middle Dutch cnibbelen (modern Dutch knibbelen (“to gnaw; to murmur”), nibbelen (“to nibble”)) * Saterland Frisian nibje (“to nibble”) * West Frisian knibbelje
Etymology 2
A pun on the homophony of byte and bite.