nibble
/ˈnɪb(ə)l/ verb C1- To take a small, quick bite, or several of such bites, of (something). · The rabbit nibbled the lettuce.
- To lightly bite (a person or animal, or part of their body), especially in a loving or playful manner; to nip.
- 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.· The cows nibbled their way across the field.
- Chiefly followed by into or to: to cause (something) to be in a certain state through small bites.
- Followed by away, off, etc.: to remove (something) through small bites.
- To remove (small pieces) from glass, tile, etc., with a tool; also, to remove small pieces from (glass, tile, etc.) with a tool.
- 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.
Plural nibble · He/she/it nibbles · Past nibbled · Past participle nibbled · -ing form nibbling
Verb forms
- Base form
- nibble
- He/she/it
- nibbles
- Past
- nibbled
- Past participle
- nibbled
- -ing form
- nibbling
From the library
Supposing all danger to have passed, the Hart began to nibble the tendrils of the Vine.
In vain she nibbled at the bread and butter and pecked at the crab-apple preserve out of the little scalloped glass dish by her plate.
“And now which is which?” she said to herself, and nibbled a little of the right-hand bit to try the effect: the next moment she felt a violent blow underneath her chin: it had struck her foot!
After a while she remembered that she still held the pieces of mushroom in her hands, and she set to work very carefully, nibbling first at one and then at the other, and growing sometimes taller and sometimes shorter, until she had succeeded in bringing herself down to her usual height.
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