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Glite Dictionary
to gimp along

to gimp along

8.7
To walk slowly and with a limp because of a hurt leg
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : cojear
  • I got up and gimped along as well as I could on my bad knee, but I was soon diving through the waves and catching and passing them.

Examples

  • After twisting his ankle, he had to gimp along the sidewalk to get home.

  • Despite his injury, he tried to gimp along with the group on the hiking trail.

  • The dog started to gimp along after its leg was hurt in the accident.

Synonyms

to limp
vsto gimp along
73 2.6

To walk with difficulty because one leg or foot is hurt

emphasizes an uneven step caused by physical impairment
to hitch
vsto gimp along
11 5.6

To walk with a limp because of an injury

covers general walking difficulty not limited to uneven steps
to walk with a limp
vsto gimp along
6 3.7

Move with short uneven steps because one leg or foot hurts

focuses on general difficulty rather than only leg or foot causes
to plod
vsto gimp along
4 5.5

To walk slowly with heavy steps because you are tired

focuses on difficulty from physical impairment rather than tired slowness
to gimp
vsto gimp along
  • Informal
1 9.8

To walk with difficulty because of a leg or foot injury

is the neutral term used in general contexts
to gimp around
vsto gimp along
  • Informal
9.9

To move slowly and awkwardly because of pain or stiffness

refers to walking with an uneven step rather than general awkward slowness

Antonyms

to run
∞ 1.0

To move a boat fast in the same direction as the wind

How Difficult

to gimp along
  • Informal
8.7
to drag
179 2.8
to shuffle
45 3.8
to walk
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

gimp along infinitive
gimped along past
gimped along past participle
gimping along present participle
gimps along third person singular

Morphology

gimp + along

The meaning 'to walk with difficulty' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'gimp' (to hobble or limp) with 'along' (moving onward), following a standard motion verb + particle pattern. There is no strong metaphorical shift or idiomatic meaning, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Gimp along comes from the simple picture of someone with a hurt leg who must gimp, taking small painful steps, to move along a path. So it means 'to walk with difficulty'.