limber

IPA/ˈlɪm.bər/
KK[lˈɪmbɚ]IPA/ˈlɪm.bɚ/

limber — adjective

  • limberpositive
  • limberercomparative
  • limberestsuperlative

1. describes a person whose body can bend, stretch, and move in a smooth, easy way

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a person whose body can bend, stretch, and move in a smooth, easy way without stiffness or pain

Example

Mei-Lin stretches for ten minutes every morning to keep her body limber for dance class.

keep + limber — maintaining flexibility through practice

The yoga teacher was surprisingly limber even though she was over sixty years old.

predicative: be + limber

Common collocations
  • limber body
  • keep limber
  • stay limber
  • feel limber
  • limber muscles
Synonyms
  • supple

    more formal; often implies a desirable, graceful flexibility of the body

  • flexible

    broader, more common word; can describe both people and objects

  • agile

    emphasises quickness and ease of movement rather than bending ability

Antonyms
  • stiff

    the most common opposite; describes inability to bend or move easily

  • rigid

    stronger and more formal than stiff; suggests complete lack of flexibility

Grammar Patterns

be + limber

stay/keep + limber

limber + noun (attributive)

Usage Note

Frequently paired with verbs like 'stay', 'keep', or 'feel' to describe maintaining physical flexibility. The attributive use (e.g., 'limber body') is less common than the predicative form.

Common Mistakes

She is limber after running for an hour.' (when meaning sweaty/tired).
She feels limber after doing her morning stretches.
'limber' describes flexibility, not temperature or effort level.

2. describes an object or material that can be bent, shaped, or twisted without bre

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes an object or material that can be bent, shaped, or twisted without breaking or cracking

Example

The limber branches of the willow tree swayed gently in the spring breeze.

attributive: limber + noun (natural material)

Clara used a limber metal wire to shape the frame of her art project.

Common collocations
  • limber branches
  • limber wire
  • limber leather
  • limber plastic
  • limber metal
Synonyms
  • flexible

    the standard, everyday word for materials that bend easily

  • pliable

    suggests a material that can be shaped or moulded by hand

  • bendable

    informal; straightforward and commonly used for everyday objects

Antonyms
  • stiff

    common opposite; describes material that resists bending

  • rigid

    stronger; describes something that cannot bend at all

Grammar Patterns

be + limber

limber + noun (attributive)

Usage Note

Less common than 'flexible' for objects. 'Limber' in this sense is mostly found in literary or descriptive writing rather than everyday speech.

limber — verb

limber — noun

Word family

  • limberness
    nounC2
  • limberly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe ease of movement, but they differ in scope and connotation. 'Limber' specifically describes a body that bends and stretches smoothly, often associated with dancers and gymnasts. 'Supple' is more formal and carries a positive aesthetic quality — supple skin or supple limbs suggest both flexibility and health. 'Flexible' is the broadest term, used for people, objects, and even schedules or rules. 'Agile' emphasises speed and quick direction changes rather than bending — an agile athlete can change direction rapidly. A limber person can touch their toes; an agile person can dodge a tackle. Example: 'The limber gymnast executed a smooth backbend, then the agile fencer lunged past her opponent.'

supple ↗flexible ↗limber ↗agile ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • limber up before
  • stay limber
  • keep limber
  • feel limber

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicMiddle EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

The adjective and verb senses of 'limber' (meaning flexible, or to become flexible) have an uncertain origin, first appearing in English in the 1500s, possibly related to an old word for 'limb'. The noun sense (a two-wheeled military vehicle for carrying guns) is a separate word historically, likely from Middle English 'lymure' meaning a cart shaft, or Old French 'limonière' (a vehicle shaft). These two words are homographs — they share the same spelling by coincidence, not through shared etymology.

First known use

1565

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Verb