nibble
Word family nounnibblernibblingverbnibbleadverbnibblingly
nib·ble1 /ˈnɪbəl/ verb 1
[intransitiveI, transitiveT]DFEAT to eat small amounts of food by taking very small bites 啃;一点一点地咬[吃] He nibbled the biscuit cautiously. 他小心地啃着饼干。
nibble at There’s a fish nibbling at my bait. 有条鱼正在咬我的鱼饵。
nibble on He nibbled on a piece of raw carrot. 他啃着一根生胡萝卜。
► see thesaurus at bite →4 See picture of 见图 BITE 1 2 [transitiveT] to gently bite someone in a loving way 轻咬 He began to nibble her ear affectionately. 他开始深情地轻咬她的耳朵。
3 nibble away at something phrasal verbphr v REDUCEto take away small amounts of something so that the total amount is gradually reduced 慢慢地削弱;蚕食 All these expenses are nibbling away at our savings. 所有这些开支正在一点一点地耗掉我们的积蓄。
The Scottish National Party is beginning to nibble away at Labour’s majority. 苏格兰民族党正开始一步步削弱工党的多数派地位。
nibble2 noun 1 DFEAT[countableC] a small bite of something 一小口nibble of She took a nibble of her cookie. 她咬了一小口曲奇。
2. nibbles [plural] informalDFFDL small things to eat, like crisps and peanuts, especially at a party 少量食品;〔尤指聚会上的〕小吃 3 INTERESTED[singular] a small amount of interest in something 对某事略微的兴趣 We’ve had the house on the market for a month and not even had a nibble yet. 我们把房子挂牌出售一个月了,至今仍无人问津。
Origin nibble1 (1500-1600) Perhaps from Low German nibbeln “to chew bits off”