hobble

[hob-uhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hobble 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.

Origin of hobble

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

Related formshob·bler, nounun·hob·bled, adjectiveun·hob·bling, adjective

Synonyms for hobble

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hobble ON THESAURUS.COM

5. hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.

Antonyms for hobble

5. aid, assist, benefit.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hobbled

falter, stagger, shuffle, stumble, halt, hinder, hamstring, hamper, dodder, totter, clump, scuff, hitch, hog-tie, cramp, clog, fetter, leash, trammel, shackle

Examples from the Web for hobbled

Contemporary Examples of hobbled

And it was the most that could squeak through a filibuster- hobbled Senate.
The Indispensible Nancy Pelosi
Robert Shrum
March 25, 2014
The best laid plans: Instead it was Mitt himself who came up lame, hobbled and lacerated by his own tripping tongue.
The Ugly American: Mitt Romney’s Disastrous Overseas Excursion
Robert Shrum
July 31, 2012
Mitt Romney is a two-time loser this week, hobbled by Democratic attacks and friendly fire from his own side.
Blasts from the Past Wound Romney
Howard Kurtz
May 18, 2012
Netanyahu can no longer claim to be hobbled on the peace front by coalition politics and resistance from his minority parties.
How to Revive The Peace Process: A Modest Proposal
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
May 9, 2012
Lawmakers “are leaving town just as one of the most important agencies in Washington is hobbled,” Goldfarb says.
The Shutdown Safety Scare
Eve Conant
August 4, 2011

Historical Examples of hobbled

Away he hobbled, and arrived at the house of the head-master.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
With which laconic remark Newman turned round and hobbled away.
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby
Charles Dickens
Her fatigue became so great that she staggered and hobbled about on her numbed legs.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
At last they had got to the end, and they hobbled away, saved—free!
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
He leaned heavily upon his cane as he hobbled back to the kitchen.
Fair Harbor
Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for hobbled

hobble

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 Formshobbler, 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

Word Origin and History for hobbled

hobble

c.1300, hoblen "to rock back and forth, toss up and down," probably related to its Dutch cognate hobbelen (which, however, is not recorded before late 15c.).

Meaning "to walk lamely" is from c.1400. Transitive sense of "tie the legs (of an animal)" first recorded 1831, probably an alteration of 16c. hopple, cognate with Flemish hoppelen "to rock, jump," which also is related to Dutch hobbelen. Sense of "hamper, hinder" is c.1870. Related: Hobbled; hobbling. The noun is 1727, from the verb.