nibble

nibble
[[t]nɪ̱b(ə)l[/t]]
nibbles, nibbling, nibbled
1) VERB If you nibble food, you eat it by biting very small pieces of it, for example because you are not very hungry.

[V n] He started to nibble his biscuit...

[V at/on n] She nibbled at the corner of a piece of dry toast. [Also V]

N-COUNT
Nibble is also a noun.

We each took a nibble.

2) VERB If you nibble something, you bite it very gently.

[V n] John found he was kissing and nibbling her ear...

[V on/at n] Daniel Winter nibbled on his pen.

3) VERB When an animal nibbles something, it takes small bites of it quickly and repeatedly.

[V n] A herd of goats was nibbling the turf around the base of the tower...

[V at/on n] The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork. [Also V]

Nibble away means the same as nibble.

V P on/at n The rabbits nibbled away on the herbaceous plants.

4) VERB If one thing nibbles at another, it gradually affects, harms, or destroys it.

[V at n] It was all going to plan, yet small doubts kept nibbling at the edges of his mind.

Nibble away means the same as nibble.

V P at n Several manufacturers are also nibbling away at Ford's traditional customer base.

5) N-COUNT: usu pl Nibbles are small snacks such as biscuits, crisps, and nuts that are often offered to you at parties. [mainly BRIT]

Nibbles go down well with any age group.


English dictionary. 2008.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:
, (by nips) / , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • nibble at — nibble (away) at [phrasal verb] nibble (away) at (something) : to make (something) disappear or go away very slowly Police have been nibbling (away) at crime in the city for years. [=police have been very slowly reducing the amount of crime in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Nibble — Nib ble, v. t. To bite upon something gently or cautiously; to eat a little of a thing, as by taking small bits cautiously; as, fishes nibble at the bait. [1913 Webster] Instead of returning a full answer to my book, he manifestly falls a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nibble — [n] morsel, bite crumb, peck, snack, soupçon, taste, tidbit; concepts 458,831 Ant. mouthful nibble [v] bite, pick at crop, eat, eat like a bird*, gnaw, munch, nip*, nosh on*, peck*, snack; concept 169 Ant. gorge …   New thesaurus

  • Nibble — Nib ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Nibbled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Nibbling}.] [Cf. {Nip}.] To bite by little at a time; to seize gently with the mouth; to eat slowly or in small bits. [1913 Webster] Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nibble — ib ble, n. 1. A small or cautious bite. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: (Fig.) An expression of interest, often tentative, as at the beginning of a sale or negotiation process. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nibble — ► VERB 1) take small bites out of. 2) gently bite at. 3) gradually erode. 4) show cautious interest in a project. ► NOUN 1) an instance of nibbling. 2) a small piece of food bitten off …   English terms dictionary

  • nibble — [nib′əl] vt. nibbled, nibbling [LME nebyllen, prob. akin to MLowG nibbelen: for IE base see NIP1] 1. to eat (food) with quick bites, taking only a small amount at a time, as a mouse does 2. to bite at with small, gentle bites vi. 1. to take small …   English World dictionary

  • Nibble — This article is about the information storage unit. For other uses, see Nibble (disambiguation). A character table ordered by nibbles. In computing, a nibble (often nybble or even nyble to simulate the spelling of byte) is a four bit… …   Wikipedia

  • nibble — nib|ble1 [ˈnıbəl] v [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: Perhaps from Low German nibbeln to chew bits off ] 1.) [I and T] to eat small amounts of food by taking very small bites ▪ He nibbled the biscuit cautiously. nibble at ▪ There s a fish nibbling at my… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Nibble — Un nibble (ou, plus rarement nybble) est, en informatique, un agrégat de 4 bits, soit un demi octet. Un nibble contenant 4 bits, il peut prendre seize (24) valeurs différentes et correspond donc à un seul chiffre hexadécimal, d où son autre… …   Wikipédia en Français

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