limp

CEFRB2

/lɪmp/

verb · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To walk with difficulty because one leg is hurt.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Soft or weak and not stiff.

Examples

  • The hat got wet and went limp.

  • He walked with a limp.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To move or proceed irregularly.

  2. To travel with a malfunctioning system of propulsion.

  3. To walk lamely, as if favoring one leg.

More examples

In context

  • He walked with a pronounced limp.

  • The bomber limped home on one engine.

  • The business limped through the recession

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After twisting his ankle, he had to blank slowly to the bench for rest.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).