好词典

nibble

UK //ˈnɪb.əl//US //ˈnɪb.əl//

词源

源自中古低地德语 'nibbelen',意为‘小口咬’,可能模仿了轻轻咬的声音。

verb

❶ 小口地咬或吃,通常指轻轻地、慢慢地咬一小口食物,常用于形容动物或人小心翼翼地进食。

“The rabbit nibbled on the carrot.”

(兔子小口地啃着胡萝卜。)

“She nibbled at her sandwich while reading.”

(她一边看书一边小口地吃着三明治。)

❶ 逐渐消耗或侵蚀,常用于形容缓慢、轻微的影响或破坏。

“Inflation nibbled away at their savings.”

(通货膨胀逐渐消耗了他们的储蓄。)

“The waves nibbled at the shoreline.”

(海浪一点点侵蚀着海岸线。)

同义词:bite, gnaw, peck, munch, graze

noun

❶ 一小口食物或少量食物,通常指轻轻咬下的部分。

“She took a nibble of the cheese.”

(她咬了一小口奶酪。)

“He offered me a nibble of his chocolate.”

(他让我尝了一小口他的巧克力。)

❶ 轻微的咬或啃的动作,常用于描述动物或人的行为。

“I felt a nibble on my fishing line.”

(我感觉鱼线被轻轻咬了一下。)

“The puppy gave my finger a playful nibble.”

(小狗顽皮地轻轻咬了我的手指。)

同义词:bite, taste, morsel, crumb, snack

常见短语

nibble away at — 逐渐消耗或侵蚀某物,通常指缓慢但持续的影响或破坏。

“The high rent nibbles away at my monthly budget.”

(高昂的租金逐渐消耗了我的月度预算。)

take a nibble — 尝一小口食物,通常指尝试性地吃一点点。

“Would you like to take a nibble of this new dessert?”

(你想尝一小口这个新甜点吗?)