1
as in shuffles
to walk while favoring one leg
she limped all day after stubbing her toe on the lawn sprinkler
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbles
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
the damaged boat limped back into port
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in drags
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
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Recent Examples of limps
After the midterm elections are over, the focus gradually shifts to the next presidential election, and the incumbent president increasingly limps like a lame duck.
—
Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026
Aside from creating the maze and covering it in snow, Pawbert limps his way through the maze, very much in homage to Jack Nicholson’s character.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
Tymere Jackson suffers a blow to his groin, and limps off the field.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 8 Nov. 2025
When there is much spectacle, substance limps behind, and that must be the judgement of what was achieved between India and China at Tianjin.
—Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Nashville limps into the playoffs having just lost one of its top players to injury/retirement in Michelle Esquivel, while California netted a premier-level player in Martin Emmrich at the trade deadline, who seems to have energized the Black Bears heading into the playoffs.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026
Aside from creating the maze and covering it in snow, Pawbert limps his way through the maze, very much in homage to Jack Nicholson’s character.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
Tymere Jackson suffers a blow to his groin, and limps off the field.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 8 Nov. 2025
When there is much spectacle, substance limps behind, and that must be the judgement of what was achieved between India and China at Tianjin.
—Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Nashville limps into the playoffs having just lost one of its top players to injury/retirement in Michelle Esquivel, while California netted a premier-level player in Martin Emmrich at the trade deadline, who seems to have energized the Black Bears heading into the playoffs.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for limps
Verb
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Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
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That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jaelin Kauff is easily through after her quarterfinal opponent Anastassiya Gordodko stumbles.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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The expressive and excitable young girl stumbles along, while the wary grown-up remains controlled and refined — even though both are completely lost.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And when the failure drags on long enough, extreme partisanship rushes in to fill it.—
Melissa Derosa,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
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But the process often drags on for years, with a slim success rate.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Carolyn switches her nail color from a bold red to a blander shade; John hobbles out of his George magazine office wearing a cast on his left ankle due to a paragliding accident.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
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Kittle hobbles off the field George Kittle limped off the field late in the third quarter with an ankle injury amid a productive night.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The film tells the story 21-year-old Junyang, who drifts through life while his father quietly struggles to hold their modest home together.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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The middle-aged woman cured of breast cancer who now struggles to climb stairs because endocrine therapy has carved away her bone density and caused joint aches.—
Gilberto Lopes,
STAT,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
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Ma crawls toward you and plants her palms on your cheeks.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Stanton demonstrates his battery by shorting the coils, which halts the pendulum due to the magnetic field’s braking effect.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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Should any of these conditions not be met, the contract halts and notifies all relevant parties.—
Matthew Kayser,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Amazon also strikes a nerve with an ad starring Chris Hemsworth that pokes fun of people’s fears of AI.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Cucurella lands on the rebound and pokes in.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Limps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limps. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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