LIMPS Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

limps

verb

present tense third-person singular of limp

as in shuffles

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

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as in stumbles

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

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as in drags

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

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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 limps Still, their emotionally ruinous tug-of-war goes on for so many rounds that the movie limps toward the end credits exhausted. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 None at all leads to slow, pale, sad-looking growth that limps through the season. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026 The unchanged chain was dubbed Ethereum Classic, which still limps along today, though its market cap is far less than 1% of actual Ethereum. — Emin Gün Sirer, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026 Falsehood scales instantly; correction limps behind. — Tom Debley, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026 Every time one player returns to the court, another limps off. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for limps

Verb

My brother looks at the floor, mumbles something, and then shuffles away from the table.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
The line shuffles forward quickly, and my heart knots in my chest as Heartfillers are dosed to each person up ahead.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of shuffles

Verb

An irresolvable knot of wickedness who acts on impulse and has seemingly no capacity for empathy, Cathy stumbles into the heart of the Trask family’s jealousy and ambition.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
But here, too, Wladyka stumbles, opting for a comforting but pat ending about how dance and art enliven so many lives.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of stumbles

Verb

Republicans have expressed growing pessimism about their chances in the election, which will determine control of Congress, as the president has repeatedly dismissed concerns about high costs and gas prices as his unpopular war in Iran drags on.

— MICHELLE L. PRICE, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
In it, a botched secret mission drags Eken Babu into a mystery in Kerala.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

David Perno hobbles from his golf cart to the bench at Clarke Central’s football field and sits to watch practice start.

— Jack Leo, AJC.com, 9 July 2026
Major marine war risk providers have started to scrap cover for vessels operating in the Persian Gulf as the fallout from a sudden security shock hobbles key shipping routes in the region.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026

Definition of hobbles

Verb

Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
As someone who struggles with the dizzying effects of altitude, I was quickly reminded of Santa Fe’s 7,000-foot elevation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggles

Verb

There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawls

Verb

This natural inversion destroys leadership, fractures relationships and halts self-improvement.

— Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
This halts the nuclear fusion process — which involves converting that hydrogen to helium — leading to the stars collapsing and shedding their outer layers to become a white dwarf with around the mass of the sun crammed into the width of Earth.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of halts

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“Limps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limps. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of limps

verb

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