to walk with a limp
9
3.7
- phrasal verb
- Since breaking his ankle, he has started to walk with a limp whenever he is tired.
- still walks with a limp
- now walks with a limp
- man who walks with a limp
Examples
-
His uniform still looks bad, his hair looks tousled, and he walks with a limp.
Fiction book (1995) -
In grade school, Lavin had walked with a limp, and doctors at the Mayo Clinic concluded he probably had contracted polio at some time.
Blog text (20) -
I still walk with a limp from that broken leg.
Blog text (1) -
So, the only thing that you remember about him is that he walked with a limp.
-
I notice right away that he walks with a limp.
Fiction book (1997) -
I walk with a limp and encounter balance issues.
Blog text (32) -
Mrs. Allingham walked with a limp, and it took her ages to get to the phone.
Fiction book (1995) -
Maria is in her early forties, her hair is streaked with gray, and she walks with a limp.
Academic text (1996) -
Gladden is a big, kindly man who walks with a limp, having slipped and broken his hip on the Rhodes Point dock last winter.
Academic text (1994) -
After the accident, he has to walk with a limp due to the pain in his leg.
Synonyms
103
1.6
To trip or lose balance while walking and almost fall
57
4.0
Walk in an unsteady way as if about to fall
23
5.6
To walk with difficulty because of pain or injury
5
6.1
To walk unsteadily, almost stumbling because of weakness
5
5.9
To walk with heavy noisy steps that show effort or anger
4
7.9
To walk awkwardly while dragging your feet
2
5.6
To walk with a limp because of an injury
2
8.4
To walk in a slow, unsteady way because of old age or weakness
1
9.9
To walk with small, unsteady steps
1
8.7
To walk slowly and with a limp because of a hurt leg
To walk in a wobbly way as if about to fall
How Lame
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to walk in an uneven or unsteady way' is directly derivable from combining 'walk' (move on foot) with the prepositional manner phrase 'with a limp' where 'limp' denotes an irregular gait; 'with' marks the accompanying manner. This is a straightforward compositional pattern common in English (and mirrored in many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Walk with a limp comes from the plain picture of someone with a hurt leg who does not put full weight on the sore foot, so they walk in a short, uneven step called a limp. That's why it means 'to walk unevenly or unsteadily because of pain'.