nibble
Americanverb (used without object)
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to bite off small bits.
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to eat or chew in small bites.
Give him a graham cracker to nibble on.
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to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually followed byat ).
She was so upset she could only nibble at her food.
verb (used with object)
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to bite off small bits of (something).
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to eat (food) by biting off small pieces.
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to bite in small bits.
He nibbled each morsel with great deliberation.
noun
idioms
verb
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(esp of animals, such as mice) to take small repeated bites (of)
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to take dainty or tentative bites
to nibble at a cake
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to bite (at) gently or caressingly
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(intr) to make petty criticisms
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(intr) to consider tentatively or cautiously
to nibble at an idea
noun
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a small mouthful
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an instance or the act of nibbling
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informal (plural) small items of food, esp savouries, usually served with drinks
Other Word Forms
- unnibbled adjective
Etymology
Origin of nibble
1425–75; late Middle English nebillen to peck away at, nibble, try, perhaps < Middle Low German nibbelen to pick with the beak; nib, -le
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Duane did, and sure enough, there was the beach and the delicious grass and berry bushes, as if they were close enough to nibble on.
From Literature
Then she raised her head and nibbled at the brim of my old straw hat.
From Literature
“The nibbles around the edges — ‘Make the procedure a little tighter, we’ll require a couple more documents.’”
From Los Angeles Times
There were plants to prop up that had toppled over in the wind, weeds to pull, strawberries to nibble, and a huge bunch of bananas just green enough to pick.
From Literature
He wore sunglasses inside and nibbled from a bag of Italian potato chips.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
