🇬🇧🇨🇳 nibble - 蚕食 : English Lesson

Meaning of "nibble" ("蚕食"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

To nibble means to take lots of tiny, careful bites of something instead of taking one big chomp, like when you eat just the edges of a cookie or gently bite a carrot like a little rabbit.

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

The goat at the petting zoo tried to nibble my jacket, my shoelaces, and then my pride when I squealed louder than it did.

I tried to nibble my broccoli politely, but my face made the same expression as if I’d just licked a battery.

I watched a turtle nibble its lettuce so slowly that I finished my whole dinner and dessert before it swallowed once.

I saw my dog nibble the corner of the couch, then stare at it like the couch had started it first.

Cows actually nibble grass all day with their big teeth—if you ate as much salad as a cow, you’d nibble for about 8 hours a day too!

At the park, a small boy broke his cookie and laid a piece near a trembling squirrel. The squirrel edged closer to nibble the crumb, then paused. It would nibble, sniff, nibble slowly, and nibble again, careful and tiny. The boy whispered, offering more; the squirrel will nibble the gift, twitch its tail, and hop away content.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.