hobble

[ hob-uhl ]

/ ˈhɒb əl /

SEE 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.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz

Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

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

SYNONYMS FOR hobble

5 hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hobble ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR hobble

5 aid, assist, benefit.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR hobble ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM hobble

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

Words nearby hobble

hobbes, thomas, hobbesian, hobbism, hobbit, hobbits, hobble, hobble skirt, hobblebush, hobbledehoy, hobbs, hobby

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for 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.
Speed Read: J.K. Rowling Pens Another Winner With ‘The Silkworm’|Malcolm Jones|June 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The hobbling skirts and the exaggerated peplums and darts looked like the wild dreams of a woman … as envisioned by a man.
Designing for the One Percent at New York Fashion Week|Robin Givhan|February 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We'll keep weeding out the troublesome ones, keep fattening and hobbling the submissive ones.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks|Max Brooks|January 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Sure enough, the tree-frog had taken alarm, and was hobbling away out of reach.
The Cricket's Friends|Virginia W. Johnson

Alvino was hobbling about among the horses with his lantern.
The Rustler of Wind River|G. W. Ogden
"I wish I could," he smiled, hobbling in and confronting her quietly in her own room.
Initials Only|Anna Katharine Green
The two Indians who were free were hobbling towards the woodland on the other side, appalled by their own temerity.
With Drake on the Spanish Main|Herbert Strang
Nor did Winthrope, stumbling and hobbling behind her, fare any better.
Into the Primitive|Robert Ames Bennet

British Dictionary definitions for hobbling

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

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

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

noun

QUIZZES

Origin of hobble

SYNONYMS FOR hobble

ANTONYMS FOR hobble

OTHER WORDS FROM hobble

Words nearby hobble

Words related to hobbling

Example sentences from the Web for hobbling

British Dictionary definitions for hobbling

verb

noun

Derived forms of hobble

Word Origin for hobble