hobble
to walk lamely; limp.
to proceed irregularly and haltingly: His verses hobble with their faulty meters.
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.
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
1Other words for hobble
Opposites for hobble
Other words from hobble
- hobbler, noun
- un·hob·bled, adjective
- un·hob·bling, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use hobble in a sentence
Another patient hobbles toward us, and we find that he is walking on stumps of feet, without toe.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2 | Ida May Hill StarrStaggering under the weight, Hiram hobbles across the stage, plants his trunk on the floor, and sits down on it to mop his brow.
Paris Vistas | Helen Davenport GibbonsBreaking down the Wild Horse, with hobbles on his fore feet, and the laso around his under jaw.
He tethered the cow to the wheel of the wagon and clamped rusty hobbles about the horses' fetlocks.
The Pioneers | Katharine Susannah PrichardSaying which he pulled a small carpet from his horse's saddle, and got out his hobbles to tie up his horse.
The Arab's Pledge | Edward L. Mitford
British Dictionary definitions for hobble
/ (ˈhɒbəl) /
(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)
a strap, rope, etc, used to hobble a horse
a limping gait
British dialect a difficult or embarrassing situation
a castrated ferret
Origin of hobble
1- Also (for senses 2, 5): hopple
Derived forms of hobble
- hobbler, noun
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
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