shambles 1 of 2

plural noun

ˈsham-bəlz How to pronounce shambles (audio)
Definition of shamblesnext
1
as in dump
a dirty or messy place this room is a shambles—clean it up right now!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in mess
a state in which everything is out of order the earthquake left the whole town in a shambles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shambles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shamble
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily disconsolate and exhausted after losing the match, the wrestler shambled toward the locker room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shambles
  1. shuffles
  2. stumbles
  3. stomps
Verb
  • My brother looks at the floor, mumbles something, and then shuffles away from the table.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The line shuffles forward quickly, and my heart knots in my chest as Heartfillers are dosed to each person up ahead.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuffles
Verb
  • The film will follow a boy (Leber), left to his own devices, who stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing otherworldly music.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • While going through Verity’s files, Lowen stumbles on her memoir, an alleged confession.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • At one point Evans stomps in to a Fielder secondary interview to try to stop it.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Godzilla Minus Zero stomps into theaters in Japan on November 3 and in North America on November 6.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomps
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

shambled
shambles
shambling
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Cite this Entry

“Shambles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shambles. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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