hobble

American  

[hob-uhl] / ˈhɒb əl /

verb (used without object)

hobbled, hobbling

1. to walk lamely; limp.

2. to proceed irregularly and haltingly.

   His verses hobble with their faulty meters.

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verb (used with object)

hobbled, hobbling

1. to cause to limp.

   His tight shoes hobbled him.

2. to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.

3. to impede; hamper the progress of.

   Synonyms:

   cramp, frustrate, restrict, hinder

   Antonyms:

   benefit, assist, aid

noun

1. an act of hobbling; an uneven, halting gait; a limp.

2. a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.

3. hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.

4. Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.

hobble British  

/ ˈhɒbəl /

verb

1. (intr) to walk with a lame awkward movement

2. (tr) to fetter the legs of (a horse) in order to restrict movement

3. to progress unevenly or with difficulty

4. (tr) to hamper or restrict (the actions or scope of a person, organization, etc)

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noun

1. a strap, rope, etc, used to hobble a horse

2. a limping gait

3. dialect a difficult or embarrassing situation

4. a castrated ferret

Other Word Forms

• hobbler noun
• unhobbled adjective
• unhobbling adjective

Etymology

Origin of hobble

1300–50; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt

Explanation

When you hobble, you walk awkwardly or unsteadily because you're in pain. You might wipe out on your bike and then hobble back home, pushing it in front of you. People who hobble, walking with a limp or a shuffle, have most often been injured in some way, though a disabled or elderly person might hobble too. You can call the walk itself a hobble as well: "I knew that football tackle hurt when I saw your hobble as you left the field." The root of hobble is Old English — it's related to the Dutch hobbelen, "rock from side to side."

Example Sentences

The tussle could hobble Anthropic’s business with the government.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

A lack of leadership from Big Tech this year could hobble the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

Nathan Lyon – 6 – Broke England's resistance with a triple-wicket burst on the fourth evening, only to hobble off with a hamstring injury on the final day.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

Waging war according to legal principles seems designed to hobble us.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

Marie-Laure can hear the man pacing out there, one-pause-two one- pause-two, a lurching hobble.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• falter
• halt
• shuffle
• stagger
• stumble