LIMPING Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

limping 1 of 2

noun

as in exhaustion

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limping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of limp

as in shuffling

to walk while favoring one leg she limped all day after stubbing her toe on the lawn sprinkler

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stumbling

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually the damaged boat limped back into port

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dragging

to move slowly we'll have to stop limping if we are ever going to make our destination in time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of limping

Noun

While many symptoms overlap between species, Koehler says dogs commonly develop lethargy, fever, limping, stiff or swollen joints, pale gums, bruising, or abnormal bleeding. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 July 2026 In recent days, young Knicks fans have been made to digest from their dreary Boomer elders heavy doses of old-timey hoops lore, but mainly about the 1970 title series, featuring Willis Reed’s limping, yet noble appearance in Game Seven, his injured leg shot up with painkillers. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 Carter did not look good limping off the practice field. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026 With the Bulls’ season limping toward a finish and the transfer portal opening tomorrow, Chapel Hill clearly didn’t want to wait. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026 The chopper flew across New York harbor and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armored vehicle. — Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026 South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor scored on an 80-yard reception in the second quarter and ran into the tunnel limping following the play. — CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025 Springer fell to the ground in pain and was eventually helped off the field limping. — Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025 Once off the field, Burrow was observed limping in the tunnel of the stadium with no shoe on his left foot. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Sep. 2025

Verb

Seek out care sooner when pain causes limping, swelling persists, function declines, or an injury follows a fall. — Michael Swartzon, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 Young came up limping after getting sacked by Mason Graham on a fourth-and-3 play in the second quarter. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Dart was eventually escorted to the locker room, limping there under his own power. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 The 24-year-old Williams was limping badly as he was helped off the field. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026 Los Bravos are limping into things a bit, with a 7-8 record in September. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026 With the end of the regular season two weeks away, Aaron Boone is limping to the finish line. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026 The excitement turned to worry quickly as Darnold came up limping after a third-down sack by Dre’Mont Jones on the first drive. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The excitement turned to worry quickly as Darnold came up limping following a third-down sack by Dre’Mont Jones on the first drive. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for limping

Noun

Abrams does yeoman’s work with a character stuck in a tight spot for most of the running time, constantly grunting and gasping with a mixture of anguish and exhaustion as his body gets progressively more beat up and broken.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Tina testified for an hour before fainting from exhaustion, returning later that day for a second round of questioning.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaustion

Verb

Green tea was served by gang members shuffling around in slippers.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Verb

Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
In an era of geotags and influencers, there’s something deeply satisfying about stumbling upon a place that still feels like a secret.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

He’s also been known to engage with those who might not be fans of his comedic stylings, publicly arguing back and forth with civilians, dragging them on his social media for his fans to see.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Beaches typically go through a seasonal cycle with powerful winter waves dragging sand out to sea and more mild summer waves depositing the sand back onshore.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Noun

With trimethylaminuria diagnosable by urine test and Degree flagging diabetes and kidney issues as possible drivers, a sudden shift in body odor is increasingly treated as a symptom worth reporting.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
With morale flagging as the war in Europe drags on, the 6888th is sent abroad to clear 17 million pieces of mail that are sitting undelivered, creating a lifeline to families back home and keeping our soldiers going.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of flagging

Verb

The Republican candidate has been hobbling through the race, with lackluster fundraising and a long history of personal and legal scandals casting a pall over his candidacy.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
More than doubling the cost of the latest iPhone might risk pricing out customers and hobbling Apple’s ubiquity, analysts suggested.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of hobbling

Verb

But while most young people are struggling to land their first opportunity, some have jumped the line by building their own small businesses and startups—and young founders are now ramping up hiring even as companies across industries slow theirs.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
The film includes flashbacks to his time in the war and features a parallel story about his young carer struggling to make ends meet.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggling

Verb

At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Of course, an extra three-quarters of an inch clearance and some elastic straps do not transform a unibody, front-biased crossover into an invincible rock-crawling monster.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawling

Browse Nearby Words

limpidness

limping

limpness

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Limping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limping. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of limping

noun

verb

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