nibble
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nibble¹
- /ˈnɪbl̩/ UK
- /ˈnɪb(ə)l/ US
Rhymes with -ɪbəl
Where it comes from
The verb is derived from Late Middle English nebillen, nebyll (“to peck away at (something), nibble; (figurative) to attempt to sing (a part of a song)”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Middle Low German nibbelen (“to eat in small bites, peck”) (modern German Low German nibbeln, gnibbeln, knibbeln), possibly a variant of knabbelen, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gnet- (“to press”) or imitative.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Cognates
* Middle Dutch cnibbelen (modern Dutch knibbelen (“to gnaw; to murmur”), nibbelen (“to nibble”))
* Saterland Frisian nibje (“to nibble”)
* West Frisian knibbelje
verb nibbles · nibbling · nibbled · nibble
-
To take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, of (something).
The rabbit nibbled the lettuce.
Similar: nab
- To lightly bite (a person or animal, or part of their body), especially in a loving or playful manner; to nip. My hand, as it hangs down, thou nibblest tenderly, […]
- To make (a hole in something) through small bites.
- To make (one's way) through or while taking small bites. Before he realized it, he had nibbled his way through a whole bag of potato chips.
- Chiefly followed by into or to: to cause (something) to be in a certain state through small bites. The bases of the smaller trees were nibbled bare by rabbits, […]
- Followed by away, off, etc.: to remove (something) through small bites. The ravviſh danke of clumzie vvinter ramps / The fluent ſummers vaine: and drizling ſleete / Chilleth the vvan bleak cheek of the numd earth, / VVhilſt ſnarling guſts nibble the iuyceles leaues, / From the nak't ſhuddring branch; […]
- To remove (small pieces) from glass, tile, etc., with a tool; also, to remove small pieces from (glass, tile, etc.) with a tool.
- To fidget or play with (something), especially with the fingers or hands. Ellen stood dumb and motionless, looking steadfastly down at the hem of her green jerkin, which she was nibbling with both her hands.
- To catch (someone); to nab. [T]he Roague has ſpied me novv, hee nibled me finely once too; […]
- To steal (something); to pilfer.
- Chiefly followed by at, away, or on: to take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites; to eat (at frequent intervals) with small, quick bites. The rabbit nibbled at the lettuce.
- To lightly bite, especially in a loving or playful manner. He nibbled at my neck and made me shiver.
- Chiefly followed by at: to show slight interest in something, such as a commercial opportunity or a proposal. [W]hy mouſe, thy minde is nibbling at ſomething, vvhats iſt, vvhat lyes vpon thy Stomach?
- Followed by away at: to reduce or use up gradually; to eat. A report out this week from the National Consumer Law Center lays out a host of ways in which banks nibble away at jobless benefits with fees the center called "junk."
- Followed by at: of a batter: to make an indecisive attempt to bat a ball bowled outside the off stump.
-
Synonym of tramline (“of a vehicle: to tend to follow the contours of the ground with its wheels”).
Similar: tramline
- To fidget or play, especially with the fingers or hands. [S]he was with childe in hir huſbande his abſence, or that hir louer vſed hir fondly in open preſence, as the preſumption was not onely vehement, but alſo the fact too too apparent. Hir vnfortunat huſband had not ſooner notice gyuen him vpon his returne of theſe ſorowfull newes, then his fingers beg
-
Chiefly followed by at: to make insignificant complaints; to carp, to cavil, to find fault.
Nay more, have not some of their devoted Schollers begun, I need to saw to nibble, but openly to argue against the Kings Supremacie?
Similar: niggle
-
To engage in sexual intercourse.
Hart I vvould giue but too much money to be nibling vvith that vvench, […]
Similar: niggle
noun nibbles
- An act of taking a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, especially with the front teeth; the bite or bites so taken. [H]e would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar's lance, and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not be encouraged by a single nibble.
- A light bite of a person or animal, or part of their body, especially one which is loving or playful; a nip.
- An amount of food that is or can be taken into the mouth through a small bite; a small mouthful. Yo'r sheep will be a' folded, a reckon, Measter Pratt, for there'll ne'er be a nibble o' grass to be seen this two month, according to my reading; […]
- A slight show of interest in something, such as a commercial opportunity or a proposal.
- Grass or other vegetation eaten by livestock; forage, pasturage. On the northern slopes of the light-earthed hills the moss had come over the herbage, and the sweet nibble of the sheep was souring.
nibble²
- /ˈnɪbl̩/ UK
- /ˈnɪb(ə)l/ US
Rhymes with -ɪbəl
Where it comes from
A pun on the homophony of byte and bite.
noun nibbles · nybble · nybl
- A unit of memory equal to half a byte, or chiefly four bits. I own several abaci and two books on how to use them, but they all have four counters below the bar and one counter above it. […] The bottom four counters of each abacus can be used to represent a "nybble," and the upper counter on each can be used for parity.
Translations
Every language
verb (transitive) to lightly bite (a person or animal, or part of their body), especially in a loving or playful manner; (intransitive) to lightly bite, especially i
| Español | chancomer, mordisquear |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 甘噛みする amagami suru |
| 中文 | 輕咬 /轻咬 |
| Português | mordiscar |
| Italiano | mordicchiare |
verb (transitive) to take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, of (something); (intransitive) to take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites; to eat
| Español | apolillar, carcomer, chancomer, comisquear, comichear, comiscar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 一點一點地吃 /一点一点地吃 yīdiǎn yīdiǎn de chī |
| Português | comiscar, mordiscar |
| Français | grignoter |
| Deutsch | knabbern |
| Italiano | mordicchiare, rosicare, rosicchiare |
| Ελληνικά | περιτρώγω peritrógo, ροκανίζω rokanízo, τσιμπολογώ tsimpologó |
| Română | ciuguli |
| Русский | грызть gryztʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | nhấm nháp, nhâm nhi |
| العربية | قَضَمَ qaḍama |
| עברית | נִשְׁנֵשׁ nishnésh |
noun act of taking a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, especially with the front teeth; the bite or bites so taken
| Español | mordisco, mordisqueo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 輕咬 /轻咬 |
| Português | mordisco, beliscada |
| Italiano | boccone, bocconcino, morsetto, morso |
| Ελληνικά | τσιμπολόγημα tsimpológima |
Talk about this word "nibble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nibble. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. nibble. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nibble "nibble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nibble.Cite this
@misc{nibble_2026,
title = {nibble},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nibble},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
