shamble

[US]/ˈʃæmbl/
[UK]/ˈʃæmbl/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

vi. walk unsteadily
n. unsteady walk; shuffling footsteps
Word Forms
Past Participleshambled
Third Person Singularshambles
Past Tenseshambled
Present Participleshambling
Pluralshambles

Phrases & Collocations

shamble along

shamble through

Example Sentences

The beggar shamble d past us.

The old tramp shambled wearily up the path.

he shambled off down the corridor.

my career was in a shambles .

the event was a shambles from start to finish.

their room was a shambles as usual .

he shambled over to the desk and ferreted around .

the room was a shambles—their throats had been cut and they lay in a waste of blood.

They shamble, unused to walking on two legs, and find the human's mild sensory depravation unnerving.

Real-world Examples

Though once considered a formidable force, the French army is now a shambles.

Source: The Apocalypse of World War II

Opinion polls showed that voters blame the president for the shambles.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

Its policy on Europe is a shambles that has strengthened the forces arrayed against free trade.

Source: The Economist - Comprehensive

I shambled along behind Jessica, not bothering to pretend to listen anymore.

Source: Twilight: Eclipse

The economy is in shambles, okay. But this is why we need the government of technocrats.

Source: BBC Listening Compilation April 2019

And the country is in shambles. Remind us what it's like to live in Venezuela today.

Source: NPR News August 2018 Compilation

The powerful storm has swamped the Louisiana coast and left the region's electrical grid in shambles.

Source: AP Listening Compilation September 2021

The mosque was in shambles after the bomber opened fire, then ran inside, and blew himself up.

Source: PBS English News

One disease detective from the CDC working in Sierra Leone, she says the database there was in shambles.

Source: CNN Listening Collection September 2014

With its economy in shambles, a CNN investigation just found that illegal drug trafficking through Venezuela is soaring.

Source: CNN 10 Student English April 2019 Collection

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