shamble
verb /ˈʃæmbl/
/ˈʃæmbl/
[intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they shamble | /ˈʃæmbl/ /ˈʃæmbl/ |
| he / she / it shambles | /ˈʃæmblz/ /ˈʃæmblz/ |
| past simple shambled | /ˈʃæmbld/ /ˈʃæmbld/ |
| past participle shambled | /ˈʃæmbld/ /ˈʃæmbld/ |
| -ing form shambling | /ˈʃæmblɪŋ/ /ˈʃæmblɪŋ/ |
- (+ adv./prep.) to walk in a slow and lazy way or with difficulty, dragging your feet along the ground
- The old porter shambled along behind her.
- He shambled off into the house.
- a shambling gait
- She shambled off towards the stairs.
Word Originlate 16th cent.: probably from dialect shamble ‘ungainly’, perhaps from the phrase shamble legs, with reference to the legs of trestle tables (such as would be used in a meat market: see shambles).