hobble

American  

[hob-uhl] / ˈhɒb əl /

verb (used without object)

hobbled, hobbling

1. to walk lamely; limp.

2. to proceed irregularly and haltingly.

   His verses hobble with their faulty meters.

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verb (used with object)

hobbled, hobbling

1. to cause to limp.

   His tight shoes hobbled him.

2. to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.

3. to impede; hamper the progress of.

   Synonyms:

   cramp, frustrate, restrict, hinder

   Antonyms:

   benefit, assist, aid

noun

1. an act of hobbling; an uneven, halting gait; a limp.

2. a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.

3. hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.

4. Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.

hobble British  

/ ˈhɒbəl /

verb

1. (intr) to walk with a lame awkward movement

2. (tr) to fetter the legs of (a horse) in order to restrict movement

3. to progress unevenly or with difficulty

4. (tr) to hamper or restrict (the actions or scope of a person, organization, etc)

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noun

1. a strap, rope, etc, used to hobble a horse

2. a limping gait

3. dialect a difficult or embarrassing situation

4. a castrated ferret

Other Word Forms

• hobbler noun
• unhobbled adjective
• unhobbling adjective

Etymology

Origin of hobble

1300–50; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt

Example Sentences

I shook hands with her and watched as she hobbled into the house, as happy as a lark.

From Literature

I stared after the old woman as she hobbled away and disappeared in the trees.

From Literature

A domestic corruption scandal has hobbled infrastructure spending, weakening investor and business confidence, which was already shaky due to U.S. tariffs, and contributed to growth slowing to a five-year low in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal

That was followed by a Welsh penalty from Jarrod Evans, on for the hobbling Costelow, who had been controlling the game beautifully.

From Barron's

A lack of leadership from Big Tech this year could hobble the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• falter
• halt
• shuffle
• stagger
• stumble