- nibble at something
- nibble at somethingto take tiny bites of some kind of food. •
The children nibbled at their dinner because they had eaten too much candy.
•Stop nibbling at that candy.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
nibble at something
Look at other dictionaries:
nibble away at — ˌnibble a ˈway at [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they nibble away at he/she/it nibbles away at present participle nibbling away at past tense nibbled away at … Useful english dictionary
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 away at something — ˌnibble aˈway at sth derived to take away small amounts of sth, so that the total amount is gradually reduced Syn: ↑erode • Inflation is nibbling away at spending power. Main entry: ↑nibblederived … Useful english dictionary
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 — 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… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern 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 — I UK [ˈnɪb(ə)l] / US verb Word forms nibble : present tense I/you/we/they nibble he/she/it nibbles present participle nibbling past tense nibbled past participle nibbled 1) a) [intransitive/transitive] to eat something by taking a lot of small… … English dictionary
nibble away at — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms nibble away at : present tense I/you/we/they nibble away at he/she/it nibbles away at present participle nibbling away at past tense nibbled away at past participle nibbled away at nibble away at something to… … English dictionary
nibble — /nib euhl/, v., nibbled, nibbling, n. v.i. 1. to bite off small bits. 2. to eat or chew in small bites: Give him a graham cracker to nibble on. 3. to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually fol. by at): She was so upset she could… … Universalium
nibble — nib•ble [[t]ˈnɪb əl[/t]] v. bled, bling, n. 1) to bite off small bits: to nibble on a cracker[/ex] 2) to eat or chew in small bites 3) to bite lightly or gently 4) to bite off or take small bits of (something) 5) to eat by biting off small pieces … From formal English to slang
