to shamble
- verb
- /ˈʃæmbl/
- Without a word, he would stumble out, cross the road, and shamble off into the darkness.
- shambled away
- shambled along
- shambled across the room
Examples
-
With a multitonal group squeak, the carts started up again, and the crowd shambled back on its way.
Fiction book (2002) -
Dozens, no, hundreds of similarly disheveled figures were shambling toward him among the ranks of gleaming cars.
Fiction book (2001) -
His gait had a shambling, wandering quality; he was not very firm on his legs.
Fiction book (1996) -
Simon's father shambled over and presented arms with a fat flashlight.
Academic text (2007) -
Broder walked in the far corners of the building, alone, shambling, feeling the pull of the wound in his belly.
Fiction book (1990) -
Randall stepped into the kitchen and shambled stiffly to his place, looking at no one, an awkward little machine.
Fiction book (1990) -
Pancho was in the wardroom when he shambled in, bleary-eyed.
Fiction book (2001) -
Some of them bled from horrible wounds, and all of them shambled with the half-dead gait of complete exhaustion.
Fiction book (1992) -
He began to shamble down the street, dragging his feet as he went.
-
After the injury, she could only shamble to the door, her legs unsteady and weak.
Synonyms
To trip or lose balance while walking and almost fall
To walk by dragging your feet along the ground
To walk with short steps and a clumsy side to side movement like a duck
To walk with difficulty because of pain or injury
To move in a clumsy, confused way
To walk in an unsteady way as if about to fall
Move with short uneven steps because one leg or foot hurts
To walk in a slow, unsteady way because of old age or weakness
To walk by dragging your feet and making a soft rubbing sound
To walk with heavy, noisy steps that make a loud sound
To walk unsteadily, almost stumbling because of weakness
To walk slowly with heavy steps because you are tired
To walk with heavy noisy steps that show effort or anger
To move in a heavy, noisy, and clumsy way
To walk with small, unsteady steps
To walk in a wobbly way as if about to fall
To walk with an awkward, relaxed bounce
To carry or pull something with effort when it is heavy
Antonyms
How Awkward
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shamble probably links to an old word for a 'stool' or 'bench' and to the place called the shambles, which was a messy butcher's market. A helpful image is someone dragging tired feet through that market, which is why to shamble means to walk slowly and awkwardly.