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nibble

nib·ble
N n

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [nib-uh l]
    • /ˈnɪb əl/
    • /ˈnɪb.l̩/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [nib-uh l]
    • /ˈnɪb əl/

Definitions of nibble word

  • verb without object nibble to bite off small bits. 1
  • verb without object nibble to eat or chew in small bites: Give him a graham cracker to nibble on. 1
  • verb without object nibble to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually followed by at): She was so upset she could only nibble at her food. 1
  • verb with object nibble to bite off small bits of (something). 1
  • verb with object nibble to eat (food) by biting off small pieces. 1
  • verb with object nibble to bite in small bits: He nibbled each morsel with great deliberation. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of nibble

First appearance:

before 1425
One of the 25% oldest English words
1425-75; late Middle English nebillen to peck away at, nibble, try, perhaps < Middle Low German nibbelen to pick with the beak; cf. nib, -le

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Nibble

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

nibble popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 82% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

nibble usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for nibble

noun nibble

  • bite — If you bite something, you use your teeth to cut into it, for example in order to eat it or break it. If an animal or person bites you, they use their teeth to hurt or injure you.
  • morsel — a bite, mouthful, or small portion of food, candy, etc.
  • tidbit — a delicate bit or morsel of food.
  • crumb — Crumbs are tiny pieces that fall from bread, biscuits, or cake when you cut it or eat it.
  • speck — a small spot differing in color or substance from that of the surface or material upon which it appears or lies: Specks of soot on the window sill.

verb nibble

  • chew — When you chew food, you use your teeth to break it up in your mouth so that it becomes easier to swallow.
  • nip — to squeeze or compress tightly between two surfaces or points; pinch; bite.
  • gnaw — to bite or chew on, especially persistently.
  • pick at — to choose or select from among a group: to pick a contestant from the audience.
  • eat — to take into the mouth and swallow for nourishment; chew and swallow (food).

Antonyms for nibble

noun nibble

  • lot — lot (def 14).
  • mouthful — the amount a mouth can hold.

verb nibble

  • chomp — If a person or animal chomps their way through food or chomps on food, they chew it noisily.
  • gorge — to swallow, especially greedily.

Top questions with nibble

  • why does my cat nibble on me?
  • why does my cat nibble me?
  • what is nibble?
  • what does nibble mean?
  • why do dogs nibble?
  • why do cats nibble?
  • how many bits in a nibble?
  • what is a nibble?
  • why do dogs nibble on each other?
  • how many bytes in a nibble?
  • why does my cat nibble my fingers?
  • why do kittens nibble on fingers?
  • what rhymes with nibble?
  • why does my cat nibble my nose?
  • why do dogs nibble each other?

See also

Matching words

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