Meaning & use
limping
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“limping” is a form of “limp”.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Walking unevenly, with more weight on one leg, because of pain or injury.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a direction word: limping home, limping off.
Patterns
- limping off/home
- limping badly
After twisting his ankle, the goalkeeper left the pitch limping.
The old dog was limping slightly on its back leg.
She came limping into the clinic with a swollen knee.
verbintransitivefigurative
Moving forward slowly or with difficulty, as a damaged vehicle, business or plan might.
Grammar: Often used with along or on: the project is limping along.
Patterns
- limping along
- limping on
The old bus was limping along the hill with smoke pouring out of the engine.
The company has been limping along since its biggest client left.
The negotiations are limping on with little hope of a deal.
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing a person or animal who walks with a limp, or something working poorly.
Grammar: Appears before a noun: a limping horse, a limping economy.
Patterns
- a limping horse
A limping horse was led gently back to the stable.
The limping economy needs new investment.
The limping runner finished the race an hour later.
Word forms
| base form | limp |
|---|---|
| third person singular | limps |
| past tense | limped |
| past participle | limped |
Common combinations
- limping badly
- He was limping badly after the fall.
- limping off the field
- The striker was seen limping off the field.
- limping along
- The business is limping along on a small budget.
- limping home
- The battered ship was limping home to port.
- a limping dog
- We found a limping dog by the roadside.
- limping economy
- Voters were angry about the limping economy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hobbling
- Hobbling suggests slower, more painful steps, often by someone elderly or badly hurt, than limping.
- shuffling
- Shuffling means dragging the feet along the ground, which need not involve injury.
- struggling
- Struggling fits the figurative sense of difficulty, but it does not suggest an uneven, damaged movement.
- staggering
- Staggering means swaying unsteadily from weakness or shock, not favouring one leg.
Opposites
Word family
- limp noun
- an uneven way of walking caused by injury
- limp verb
- to walk unevenly
- limped verb
- past tense of limp
- limply adverb
- in a weak, floppy way
Commonly confused: limping or limp (adjective)?
limping vs limp (adjective)
The adjective limp means soft, weak or floppy, as in a limp handshake, and has nothing to do with walking unevenly.
Practice
After twisting his ankle, the goalkeeper left the pitch ___.
Choose one answer.
Limping is the participle that describes how he left. Limped would need another subject or conjunction, limp is an adjective for softness, and limply is an adverb meaning weakly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “limping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.