limp

If a person limps, he or she has pain in a leg or a problem with a leg.

• Wally is limping because he hurt his foot.
• The dog got something sharp in his paw and he limped all the way home.
• Yolanda’s limp got worse, so she went to the doctor. (This sentence uses "limp" as a noun.)
• The old man has always walked with a limp because of a war injury.
• Why are you limping? Did you hurt yourself?

The word "limp" is also used to describe some kind of weakness or failure.

• Business at this store went limp at the beginning of the recession.
• The dog’s tail became limp when he realized he was in trouble for digging in the yard.
• The customer got angry at the store because of their limp-wristed response to his complaints. (limp-wristed: ineffective; weak)

With the aid of a sturdy cane, the old man

limped slowly towards his home.

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March 12, 2015