shambling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of shamblingnext
as in lumbering

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shambling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of shamble
as in shuffling
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

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.
Recent Examples of shambling
Adjective
One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’). — Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026 These movies—including the seven-hour-long Sátántangó, a centerpiece of which is a shambling dance in a barroom—often swap the meandering sentence for a single camera shot that lasts 10 minutes or more. — Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
Skipping inside, Nora joins a cadre of shambling interns whom the editorial staff regard with a mixture of bemusement and disdain. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026 Bieber could be seen shambling inside, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived by helicopter. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shambling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shambling
  1. lumbering
  2. shuffling
  3. wobbly
  4. stumbling
  5. galumphing
  6. stomping
  7. unsteady
Adjective
  • The Cubs players continued to taunt Ruth at every opportunity, and a big one came their way in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jurges slashed a sinking liner into right field and the lumbering, top-heavy Babe muffed a shoestring catch.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Definition of lumbering
Verb
  • Green tea was served by gang members shuffling around in slippers.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.
    — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Adjective
  • The relentless Karlaftis didn’t record the Chiefs’ first sack of the game, but got enough of Kirk Cousins’ right arm to create a wobbly pass intercepted by Xavier Nwankpa.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond aesthetics, is there anything to be gleaned from Huang’s large, looping capitals or from Brockman’s wobbly lowercase initials?
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of wobbly
Verb
  • Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In an era of geotags and influencers, there’s something deeply satisfying about stumbling upon a place that still feels like a secret.
    — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Adjective
  • The pair come off less as cybercriminal masterminds than as galumphing galoots—that is to say, a pair of bumbling oafs who thought that asking AI how to cover their tracks was going to keep them out of federal prison.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
  • In the fall and early winter, there might be 20 creatures lounging there, occasionally galumphing or issuing a burp noise that echoes over the water.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
Definition of galumphing
Verb
  • The answer isn’t between stomping the gas pedal or leaving the car parked.
    — Bob Ackerman, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Handclaps, stomping percussion and a communal chorus create the kind of infectious energy that naturally gets people moving.
    — qygwork, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomping
Adjective
  • In previous years, Ryans could lean on his defense to bail out an unsteady offense.
    — Mike Jones, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • When Latif’s wife dies, he’s immediately forced to tamp down on the instincts that have provided for his family and wade unsteady into a world of bottles, transport, and dinner time.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of unsteady

Browse Nearby Words

shambles
shambling
shambolic
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Cite this Entry

“Shambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shambling. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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