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hobble
2 dictionary results for: Hobbled
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
hob·ble       [hob-uhl] Pronunciation Key verb, -bled, -bling, noun
–verb (used without object)
1.to walk lamely; limp.
2.to proceed irregularly and haltingly: His verses hobble with their faulty meters.
–verb (used with object)
3.to cause to limp: His tight shoes hobbled him.
4.to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.
5.to impede; hamper the progress of.
–noun
6.an act of hobbling; an uneven, halting gait; a limp.
7.a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.
8.hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.
9.Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME hobelen, appar. akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to D hobbelen, G hoppeln to jolt]

—Related forms
hobbler, noun

—Synonyms 5. hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.
—Antonyms 5. aid, assist, benefit.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hob·ble       (hŏb'əl)  Pronunciation Key 
v.   hob·bled, hob·bling, hob·bles

v.   intr.
To walk or move along haltingly or with difficulty; limp.

v.   tr.
  1. To put a device around the legs of (a horse, for example) so as to hamper but not prevent movement.
  2. To cause to limp.
  3. To hamper the action or progress of; impede. See Synonyms at hamper1.

n.  
  1. A hobbling walk or gait.
  2. A device, such as a rope or strap, used to hobble an animal.
  3. Archaic An awkward situation.


[Middle English hobblen, of Low German origin; akin to Middle Dutch hobbelen, to roll.]

hob'bler n.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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