Synonyms Examples Word Origin
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. Show More
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. Show More
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. Show More
Origin of hobble 1300–50; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt
Related forms hob·bler , noun un·hob·bled , adjective un·hob·bling , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for hobbling 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 hobbling Contemporary Examples of hobbling This time, Strike is hobbling all over London searching for Owen Quine, an author gone with no warning and no word for 10 days.
The hobbling skirts and the exaggerated peplums and darts looked like the wild dreams of a woman … as envisioned by a man.
We'll keep weeding out the troublesome ones, keep fattening and hobbling the submissive ones.
Historical Examples of hobbling His exordiums in particular were often hobbling and always unassuming.
Just then he saw, hobbling along, a wrinkled, ragged old woman.
"We'll go just as fast as you want to," said Tom, hobbling along to the stables.
How she adored him, in spite of his great humps and his now hobbling legs!
A hobbling figure appeared for a moment on the side of the ravine.
British Dictionary definitions for hobbling (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) Show More
a strap, rope, etc, used to hobble a horse a limping gait British dialect a difficult or embarrassing situation a castrated ferret Show More
Also (for senses 2, 5): hopple
Derived Forms 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
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Word Origin and History for hobbling v. 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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
