nibble

nibble
nib|ble1 [ `nıbl ] verb
1. ) intransitive or transitive to bite the surface of something gently several times:
The parrot was nibbling her ear.
a ) to eat something by taking a lot of small bites:
Sheep were nibbling the grass.
nibble at/on: Mel nibbled at a chocolate cookie.
2. ) intransitive to show a slight interest in an offer or idea
,nibble a`way at phrasal verb transitive
nibble away at something to reduce the total amount of something by gradually using small amounts of it:
Beware of hidden costs that can nibble away at your budget.
nibble
nib|ble 2 [ `nıbl ] noun
1. ) count a small bite of something
2. ) count a sign of interest in an offer or suggestion
3. ) nibbles plural MAINLY BRITISH INFORMAL small pieces of food eaten at social events with drinks, for example POTATO CHIPS and nuts

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
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 — [[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 …   English dictionary

  • 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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