hobble

[ hob-uhl ]

/ ˈhɒb əl /

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See synonyms for: hobble / hobbled / hobbling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), hob·bled, hob·bling.

to walk lamely; limp.

to proceed irregularly and haltingly: His verses hobble with their faulty meters.

verb (used with object), hob·bled, hob·bling.

to cause to limp: His tight shoes hobbled him.

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

to impede; hamper the progress of.

noun

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

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

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

Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.

OTHER WORDS FOR hobble

5 hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.

See synonyms for hobble on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR hobble

5 aid, assist, benefit.

See antonyms for hobble on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hobble

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hobble

hobbler, nounun·hob·bled, adjectiveun·hob·bling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hobble in a sentence

That night Gasol hobbled off his home court with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
The Nate Silver of Sports Injuries|Evin Demirel|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it was the most that could squeak through a filibuster- hobbled Senate.
The Indispensible Nancy Pelosi|Robert Shrum|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How is that supposed to happen when the main federal enforcement bureau is institutionally hobbled?
Free the ATF From the Gun Lobby|Adam Winkler|June 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even hobbled by illness, he spoke of extending the so-called Bolivarian revolution for at least another decade.
Bad News for Hugo Chávez—and, Possibly, Venezuela|Mac Margolis|December 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Others suggest that the CIA, long hobbled by the ban against drone strikes in Quetta, may have had a hand in the shooting.
A Senior Taliban Leader Is Gunned Down in Quetta|Sami Yousafzai|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She had hummed me out at last, and I had tucked Tim's letter in my pocket and hobbled back to the village.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
But on my part I had every reason to believe that Tip would show surprise when I hobbled forth from the misty gloom.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
One of the horses was hobbled, and they were all eating hungrily the grass that grew along the gully's sides.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
The old gentleman hobbled off, and as it proved, never entered the Cathedral again.
A Thin Ghost and Others|M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
He hobbled over and shook Millie by the hands, and the engagement was ratified, to the joy of every one.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for hobble

hobble

/ (ˈhɒbəl) /

verb

(intr) to walk with a lame awkward movement

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

to progress unevenly or with difficulty

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

noun

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

a limping gait

British dialect a difficult or embarrassing situation

a castrated ferret

Also (for senses 2, 5): hopple

Derived forms of hobble

hobbler, noun

Word Origin for hobble

C14: probably from Low German; compare Flemish hoppelen, Middle Dutch hobbelen to stammer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hobble

OTHER WORDS FOR hobble

OPPOSITES FOR hobble

Origin of hobble

OTHER WORDS FROM hobble

Words related to hobble

How to use hobble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hobble

Derived forms of hobble

Word Origin for hobble